Camouflage
by Quinis
Summary: Bowser has a plan to stop Mario from defeating him and getting the princess back. That plan is to take his brother. He didn't think much further than that. At least having the Green 'stashe working for him made him grin.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes:** So, there are tough times in my house. I don't have time to work on anything new (aside from Slight Change of Plans) so I'm putting up an older story which I never got around to posting. For once, the story has been completed in advance. Usually I write as I go. This is also my first posted story in the Mario universe: I wanted something where Luigi was a 'bad guy' but I also wanted him to be the hero of the story. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Camouflage – A Mario Fanfic, featuring Luigi

 **Chapter 1**

Luigi groaned as he woke up.

Strange... he didn't remember going to sleep. And whatever he was lying on was cold and hard. It didn't feel like he had slept either.

He opened his eyes. Confronted with the dungeon around him, he squeezed them closed again as a wave of panic washed over him.

Why was he here?

Why was he in a dungeon? Who had taken him now?

Were they going to use him as bait to get to Mario? Kill him? Turn him?

Numerous possibilities ran though his mind and none of them were good. It looked like he was in Bower's Castle. Normally he could defeat Bower and, if not, at least hold him off until Mario could arrive to help.

However, there were also numerous other enemies he and his brother made over the years and any of them could have done this.

"Hello?" he called out into the darkness outside the bars. He could see partway down the path before it was swallowed into darkness. The only light came from a torch across from his cell.

"Mario?" he called out. He hoped his brother wasn't here, somewhere in the darkness. He also hoped that his brother was here, ready to get him out of here.

There was no response.

Luigi jiggled the bars. He paced around the cell, trying to find a way out. The walls were solid and so was the roof, his headache made worse when he tried to jump out of the cell, so there was no way out.

Finally, Luigi just sat cross-legged on the ground and waited. Either Mario would come save him or the villain would reveal himself.

The latter proved true when pounding footsteps sounded. They grew louder and the ground rumbled as whatever it was grew closer.

Luigi found himself face-to-face with a familiar huge lizard monster, complete with spiky green-shell and spiky armbands. He moved to the back of the cell and glared at Bowser, holding his shaking hands behind his back.

"So, you've got nothin' to say to me, Green 'stashe?" Bowser growled. He wasn't angry as his voice had a calm tone under the hoarseness.

Luigi shook his head, unable to trust his voice. Stuck behind bars, where Bowser's flames could reach him but he couldn't reach Bower, he was completely at the other's mercy.

And Bowser wasn't known for his mercy. All Luigi could do was hope that the Koopa King had a plan and that killing him wasn't part of it.

Luigi shuddered as he thought of Mario. If Bowser killed him here, he would never see his brother again. And Mario would have to live with his death. That would probably kill his older brother.

"Fine. I'll speak." Bowser held up some keys on a large ring. "I've got a plan to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and finally defeat Mario! And I can't have you working with him in order to screw things up."

"W-what are you say-saying?" Luigi asked with a swallow. Bowser wasn't about to kill him, was he?

"Lord Bowser is saying that he's offering you a place on our team," Kamek said, appearing out of the shadows. "Fairly gratuitous, if you ask me."

Luigi's mouth dropped open. For a moment, he forgot to be afraid. Seriously? What was Bowser thinking?

He opened his mouth to say 'no', 'never' and the like, when Bowser spoke again.

"Remember, no one says 'no' to me," he growled, his voice dropping lower than Luigi had ever heard it.

Luigi shivered and trembled.

"Say 'no' and Mario gets your broken body delivered to his door, minus your life."

Luigi swallowed. The threat was clear. He says 'no' and he's dead. But, saying 'yes'? Helping Bowser, even if only until Mario could rescue him or he could escape? He'd never live that down. The people in Toad Town might not remember his good deeds but they certainly remembered his failures. Like the time Toadette dropped that cotton thread on him and he thought it was a spider. He screamed so loud that they said the inhabitants of Darkland could hear him and still hadn't stopped talking about it.

What would they say about him if he helped their ultimate enemy? What would the princess think?

What would Daisy think?

He considered all of this and took a deep breath. He thought about Mario and what would happen if his brother found his dead body.

He would never live down the rumours and distrust but, if he died; Mario would break, and he couldn't do that to his brother. Not even for a second.

Luigi didn't want to die.

"I'll join you," he announced, hanging his head.

Bowser laughed, his voice rattling the ceiling, and rubbed his hands together.

"Excellent, excellent! Kamek, show our new minion to his quarters. And get him out of that stupid plumber's outfit."

Luigi's heart jumped in horror as he looked down at his outfit. Right now, it was his only link to his brother. And his hat, it was his favourite. His hands reached up to pull it down over his eyes and his took deep breaths to keep from crying. He wouldn't let them see him cry. He wouldn't cry in front of them.

"Come along," Kamek said, opening the cell. He waved his wand in the air. "Remember I can easily beat you as you are now."

Luigi nodded and walked out of the cell. Kamek made him walk in front, telling him where and when to turn, guiding him. Luigi was nervous and his hands hadn't stopped shaking but, his mind was alive. It ran though all worst-case scenarios, most ending with him having to leave Toad Town and the Mushroom Kingdom because of his betrayal, until he opened a large, heavy, brown door and walked into a large suite.

It was medieval, with stone walls and floor. There was a poster bed to his right and a large wardrobe to his left. The room was set out a lot like the guest rooms at Princess Peach's Castle, although the colour scheme was darker with more browns, blacks and reds.

"You have fifteen minutes to pick something out and change," Kamek said, "then Bowser wishes to speak with you about his plan."

Luigi nodded, his voice deserting him again as bile rose in his throat. He was really going to work with Bowser.

The very thought made him sick.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Desperate to move, to do anything but think about his current situation, Luigi walked over to the wardrobe and opened the doors.

"Wow," he whispered under his breath, his voice soft and airy with awe. There were clothes of almost every design and colour in here; although nothing in red and no plumbers outfits.

He walked down the aisle and wondered what to wear. As he picked up a black, turtleneck shirt, a sudden thought occurred to him.

Maybe, just maybe, he could pretend to be someone else; just for a while. He pulled on the shirt and matching black trousers, fancy looking clothes he would normally never touch since he did a lot of dirty work.

He could be someone who could speak with confidence.

He picked up some brown boots, sighed, and tossed them over his shoulder.

He needed to be someone without fear.

Sitting beside the brown boots were black loafers. Luigi looked down at his socks, complete with a hole right where his big toe was on his left foot, and decided they needed to go too.

He needed to be someone who could work with Bowser and still save the Kingdom.

Just as he was about to leave, something white caught his eye. It was hidden, almost at the back, behind a rack of shoes. Luigi reached in and pulled the object out and stared at it.

It was a mask. It looked like a Shy Guy mask as it was white with black covered eye holes and a hole where one's mouth would be. He held it in his hands for a moment before placing it over his face.

It was like a barrier fell between him and the world. His nose felt squished and his moustache tickled, but it was bearable. He moved his head around, testing his field of vision. It wasn't the best, but he could always take off the mask to fight.

He walked over to the mirror and took a look. He didn't recognise the person who stared back, which had been the idea. He felt victorious but, he also felt a pang of pain. Not even a few minutes has passed and he already missed being Luigi. He didn't feel like Luigi anymore. The person reflected in the mirror looked cold, probably because he couldn't see his face under the mask and the all-black clothes did that. Maybe now, he could be confident. He could pretend.

And, hopefully, Mario would save him or he would find a way to escape.

"Aren't you done yet?" Kamek demanded, the Magikoopa appearing in the doorway.

He turned to face the Koopa, not really thinking about how Kamek could react to his new look. Kamek tilted his head at him with a thoughtful expression on his face. Then, he cackled.

"Better, better!" he said between cackles, "black really suits you."

Luigi frowned because he knew that the Koopa couldn't see his expression. A rush of freedom ran through him when he realised that no one could see his expression. He could be frowning or smiling and no one would know the difference.

And as long as he held his hands behind his back, no one would see them shake.

This might just work.

"Let's go," Kamek ordered, hoping onto his magic broom. Luigi walked after him. Tears welled in his eyes at the thought of seeing Bowser again and Luigi blinked them away before they could fall.

They walked out into a large entrance hall and up a huge staircase, lined with red carpet, up to a large red door covered in short spikes.

The doors were almost as tall as Luigi's house and he wondered how anyone was supposed to open them.

Kamek answered his silent question a moment later as he waved his wand and used his magic to open the door.

"Finally!" Bowser bellowed as they entered. Luigi felt dwarfed by the huge throne and by the huge creature sitting on it. He braced his posture and clasped his hands behind his back and let Kamek do all the talking.

"Here he is, your impatientness," Kamek said.

Bowser looked at Luigi. Dressed in black with a white mask covering his face and no sign of his trademark green hat anywhere, he looked nothing like Luigi.

"Great, great!" Bowser laughed. "Now I don't have to look at your stupid face! Good thinking, Dark 'stache!"

Dark 'stache? Luigi sighed at the thought of a new nickname from the Koopa King. But he didn't dare talk back.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked. If he was lucky, maybe Bowser would just tell him and then he could escape and tell Mario.

There was silence and he wondered if he said something wrong.

"We're going to make one right now," Bowser explained ominously.

* * *

Later, Luigi stepped into his room and wander over to the bed, dropping his mask to the floor. He flopped onto the soft sheets and cried.

Hot tears flowed freely down his cheeks, soaking into the sheets and the pillow Luigi grabbed onto for comfort.

"M-Mario," he whimpered quietly, wishing for his brother to be by his side. He felt so alone in this huge, hostile castle.

He tried not to think about the past few hours, but recollections floated unbidden into his mind.

 _[The goal is to get Princess Peach. I want ideas!]_

Luigi had only intended to listen as the Elite Trio and Kamek relayed plans to Bowser but one of their comments caught his ear.

 _[Let's attack his house! There's no way he can defend the Princess if he's fighting us there!]_ Private Goomp had suggested.

Bowser had shot down the idea immediately, like all the rest. Certainly, Mario would protect the Princess first.

 _[Dark 'stache! Any ideas?]_

Luigi wished that his mind had froze the way his body had.

He wished that he hadn't responded with the first thing on his mind, the thought brought up by Private Goomp's comment.

 _[H-he might let his house fall, but can he protect another Princess?]_ Because Mario would always try to protect others over himself.

He had also been thinking about Daisy at the time, wondering what she was doing and whether she was worried about him.

 _[Getting Mario out of the castle for a while, perfect! Good thing I thought of it, right Dark 'stache?]_

 _[If I remember right, Princess Daisy also lives in the Mushroom Kingdom.]_ Luigi still couldn't believe that Kamek knew exactly where Daisy stayed!

When Luigi was out of tears, he shuffled and wobbled into the bathroom and promptly threw up in the sink. Thanks to him, they were going after Daisy and Peach at the same time!

He looked at his pale, red-cheeked expression in the mirror. His lip trembled, as did his hand, as he pulled the collar of his turtle-neck sweater down to view his neck. A metallic silver ring shone around his neck, a magic contraption of Kamek's to ensure his loyalty.

If he tried to leave the castle, or Kamek's protection while outside, it would choke him.

He splashed water on his face and reminded himself that there was no changing the past. It didn't help him get over the guilt but it reminded him that he could still change the future. He needed to focus on getting out of this.

Somehow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

The first thing that caught his eye when he walked back into this room was a little white light. It floated around his bed before floating right through the wardrobe wall.

A ghost! Even though Luigi didn't have the energy to scream, his heartbeat quickened in terror. He closed the door to the bathroom and moved to lie in the tub.

He would sleep here tonight, where the ghost couldn't get him. Or so he told himself.

He awoke a few hours later to a white, glowing, round face staring.

"Ahhhhh!" he screamed and flailed around the tub, banging his hands on the ends and his foot on the tap.

"Yeeeeek!" the thing screamed back in a high-pitched voice, fleeing behind the bathroom mirror.

When Luigi calmed down, a much easier task now that he could pretend he didn't have an audience, he called out a tentative 'hello?' while climbing out of the tub. His hands stung and he limped a little but nothing was broken.

"No more loud?" the thing asked, its white head popping out of the mirror.

Luigi swallowed and tried to calm his racing heart.

"No more loud," he promised.

It seemed like a nice creature, unlike the other ones hanging around Bowser's Castle. It wasn't a Boo or Dry Bones, at least. It seemed to be composed of a round head with tentacle-like appendages which were all stuck together below the head. Atop its head was what looked like an apple stalk with a single white leaf attached. Its whole body was white and glowed, like a ghost.

"You work for big Spiny?" it asked.

Luigi had to think about who it might be referring to.

"You mean Bowser?"

It nodded, its round head bobbing.

"I guess I do," Luigi responded with a sigh, planting himself on the closed seat of the toilet.

"Not happy?"

Luigi nodded his head in agreement.

"Not happy," he repeated. He pulled down his collar and showed the creature the ring around his neck. "I don't want to die."

The creature seemed to think about this for a moment.

"I am Petal, flower sprite," it, no she, introduced herself.

"I'm Luigi. But I guess I'm Dark 'stache for now."

Petal considered this for a moment before nodding again.

"Big Spiny capture me. Have cloth turtle magic me. My magic gone. My colours fade. My petals all closed up. No longer flower sprite."

"Bowser did this to you?" Luigi didn't doubt Bower's actions, he just wanted conformation.

"Cloth turtle say flower sprite luck. Big Spiny say flower sprite bring luck only to him."

Luigi reached his hands out for Petal to rest on. As she touched his hands, he was reminded of a dry rose with hard petals that would fall off at the slightest touch. He tried to keep his trembling hands still so that Petal could be comfortable.

"You too kind for Big Spiny servant," Petal commented with a soft sigh. "I see you cry, no servant cry before."

"Is there any way to break the magic on you?" Luigi asked. Petal seemed so sad and he wanted to something to help. He wanted for some good to come from his servitude to Bowser.

"I need magic of princess," Petal said, "princess set me free. But no princess ever come here."

Luigi hadn't forgotten that Bowser was planning to kidnap Princess Peach.

"If I bring a princess to you, will you be able to get her out of this castle without Bowser discovering her?"

"Yes!" Petal jumped into the air and twirled around. "Yes! Princess help me, I help princess!" After a moment she added, "and Luigi!" and pressed her body to his cheek.

For the first time since he awoke in the dungeon, Luigi smiled.

* * *

It was the day of the attack and Luigi stood between Bowser and Kamek on the deck of the Koopa Cruiser. He was dressed in all black again with the white, unreadable mask on his face. His task was to help Kamek attack Princess Daisy while Bowser focused on Princess Peach. Luigi and Kamek would attack first and had the most chance of failure since they were drawing fire towards them and away from Princess Peach.

"Just follow my lead," Kamek told him as the Koopa Cruiser stooped above Princess Peach's castle. Luigi jumped onto the back of Kamek's broom as the other flew down to the castle.

They landed on the balcony which opened into Daisy's room, the Sarasaland Princess sitting in a chair while reading a book.

"What the? Seriously?" she complained loudly as Luigi shattered the glass doors with a hammer.

He prayed that Toadsworth would forgive him for that although he doubted it.

"Princess Daisy! We have come for you!" Kamek announced, as per the plan.

Luigi moved out of the way as Princess Daisy threw a chair at Kamek, knocking the Magikoopa from his broom. He smiled at the curses Kamek spat.

Maybe he should have warned them about Daisy's temper.

"Dark 'stache!" Kamek ordered in a warning voice. Luigi knew what that meant. If he didn't perform to a satisfactory level, they would activate the collar.

He sighed and stepped in front of the Magikoopa, batting away the pillow the Princess threw.

"Really?" he questioned. There was a table right next to her. He had seen her throw bigger than that. Why a pillow?

"How dare you!" she cried out. "Villains! How dare you attack a princess!"

"Sorry Princess," he said with a quick bow. Then he rushed forward a moment later and grabbed her wrists. Acting left him with no time to think about what he was doing, especially with Princess Daisy kicking out at him and struggling with all her might.

"Help!" she screeched, right near his ear. "Help me!"

Pounding footsteps sounded down the hall and Luigi turned back to look at Kamek, careful to keep Daisy out of kicking range. Surely the Magikoopa could do something to keep them both out of the firing line. Kamek waved his wand and shot a spell at Princess Daisy. Before Luigi could react, the Princess dropped to sleep in his arms.

"What did you do?" he demanded to know as fear for Daisy flooded his senses. He held her carefully and lifted her up into his arms, carrying her in a princess carry. He struggled a little under her weight but there was pounding on the door from the toad guards and Mario's voice ringing out for them to move back and let him open it.

"She's just asleep," Kamek explained, completely calm. Luigi wondered how he could do it. "Now, let's go."

Luigi jumped onto the back of Kamek's broom, still carrying Daisy, just as the door burst open and Mario rushed in.

"Kamek!" he called out in anger and Luigi felt his heart tighten in his chest.

Mario was too late. Even as he shouted at them to let Daisy go, Kamek kicked the broom into gear and they were gone.

"If we're lucky, this might just start a war between Sarasaland and the Mushroom Kingdom," Kamek said in glee as they flew through the air.

"Yeah," Luigi agreed in a subdued voice, looking dishearteningly down at Princess Peach's Castle. He could see a spot of red poking out of the veranda they had fled from and wondered what would happen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Luigi sat next to the bed where Princess Daisy lay with his head in his hands. Two cold trays of food sat on the bedside table. One was his and the other was for her when she woke up. If she woke up.

Luigi refused to move from her side until he was certain she was okay. Aside from Kamek, no one else had come into the room-slash-prison.

In Bowser's opinion, the mission had been a failure. While they had managed to capture Princess Daisy, Mario had managed to protect Princess Peach from Bowser's clutches. The evil king was off in his quarters, ranting and smashing and everyone had the good sense to stay away from him until he calmed down.

Until then, Luigi was free to do whatever he wanted inside the castle. Not that there was a whole lot to do. He had become friends with some of the soldiers; who only knew him as Dark 'stache and had yet to connect him to Luigi.

He was friends with the head cook down in the kitchens, who had given him food for the Princess as well as himself.

Nature called and Luigi answered, leaving Daisy sleeping for the moment while he used the bathroom attached to her room. When he came back, she was sitting up in bed with an angry glare on her face and sheets pulled up over her chest.

They stared at each other for a moment. Luigi's voice had been silenced by a stray thought; would Daisy recognise his voice?

"I assume you brought me this?" she asked, pointing at the food and breaking the silent stalemate.

He nodded and went to sit back down, grabbing his own tray of food and starting to eat, fiddling with his mask to allow the fork to slip under to his mouth. It wasn't tasty, not now that it was cold, but it would do.

"This is gross," Daisy commented as she ate.

"My apologies, Princess," Luigi said, all honesty. He really wished he could have brought her something better.

"So you do speak," she said, placing the food to one side. "I thought so."

Luigi looked up at her, raising an eyebrow in confusion before realising that she couldn't see the motion. He also realised that she wouldn't recognise his voice. After spending most of his nights crying or throwing up; sometimes in fear and sometimes from disgust in himself, his voice was much hoarser than it had been. It was strangely stronger too, coming out clearer behind the anonymity of his mask.

"Why do you work for Bowser?" she asked, surprising him.

He tilted his head, wondering why she would ask such a thing. A tilt of the head she could see and interpret.

"I mean, I may not know much about Bowser's troops, but I assume you're a new face. I certainly haven't heard your name before."

He didn't respond. He hoped that maybe she would forget the question.

"So, why are you working for Bowser? Surely you know that Mario will defeat him, like always."

"I don't have a choice," Luigi responded flatly. He didn't want to talk about this. His stomach churned, he wanted out and those feelings just increased the more he thought about it.

"Dark 'stache," Kamek said walking in. The Magikoopa stood by the entrance and looked disapprovingly over at them.

"Yes?"

"Lord Bowser has requested your presence." Oh, that wasn't good. Not once during the time he had been here had Bowser specifically requested his presence. Normally, Luigi was pulled in by Kamek, who was looking to use his abilities and knowledge as a Mario brother to their ends. Or he was pulled into a 'staff meeting' where Bowser bellowed at them for reports on how they were getting dastardly plans running.

Luigi looked over at Daisy, reassuring himself that she was okay, before following Kamek out of the room and down the hall to Bowser's room.

"Your grouchiness?" Kamek called, opening the door and leading them in.

Bowser emerged from the shadows and roared. No matter how many times he heard it, Luigi flinched.

"Tell me HOW WE GRABBED THE WRONG PRINCESS!" he bellowed, the room shaking from his voice.

"Your Forgetfulness, the plan was to grab Princess Daisy," Kamek reminded him, "and we grabbed Princess Daisy."

"I WANT PEACH! I have no use for this other princess!"

Luigi's heart plummeted in fear. This didn't bode well for Princess Daisy and he was worried that Bowser would do something to her.

"The plan is still in effect," he said, thankful that they couldn't see his terrified face behind his mask. Both of them turned to him; Kamek in interest and Bowser in grouchiness. He took a breath and continued. "The plan was to take Princess Daisy and draw Mario away from Princess Peach. Mario will come after Daisy; the Mushroom Kingdom cannot allow a visiting princess to be kidnapped without launching any kind of rescue."

"When Mario comes here, I CRUSH HIM and TAKE PEACH! I love it!" Bowser said.

Kamek shared a look with Luigi. They both knew that Luigi hadn't meant that.

"I believe what Dark 'stashe is trying to say is, when Mario comes here; you go to Princess Peach."

Luigi nodded, praying that Mario would leave the Princess under some kind of protection before coming to rescue Daisy. He was sorry for suggesting this but he didn't want Bowser to hurt Daisy.

"Besides... there is another use for the Flower Princess," Kamek suggested with a cackle.

Bowser froze, smiled and then frowned in confusion.

"What's that?"

"If we collect the four rainbow petals and combine their power with a princess, we can access great power. At the cost of the princess' life, of course." No. _No_. "I never suggested it before because Princess Peach wasn't suitable." Translation: Bowser wouldn't go for any plan which would end Princess Peach's life.

"Perfect!" Bowser said. "Send Dark 'stashe to collect them! I must go plan for Peach's arrival." He couldn't. They couldn't.

Kamek nodded and Bowser walked out of the room on Cloud Nine. Meanwhile, Luigi was in the middle of panicking.

They were going to sacrifice Daisy. He had to get her out of here.

"The four petals are hidden in the four kingdoms which make up Sarasaland. Tomorrow, we leave for Muda. I'll meet you by the Koopa Cruiser."

Luigi nodded and left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Luigi moved on auto pilot back to his room.

"You okay?" Petal asked, appearing the moment he closed the door.

"No." Luigi slid to the floor. He pulled off the mask and placed his head in his hands. He was disgusted with himself.

"You find no princess?" Petal asked, coming to rest on his head. He could feel her soft weight nestle in his hair which felt almost as good as having his hat back.

"I find princess," he said, momentarily adopting Petal's way of speaking. "But Bowser wants to use her and I have no idea how to stop it. Unless you can get her out?"

"No," Petal responded. "Not without flower magic. If you get Princess to me, then I can."

Luigi sighed. Petal had revealed more in the past week. What he interacted with was her spirit and her body was wherever Kamek had put it. Luigi had tried to search for it but had found nothing.

"What do I do?" he asked rhetorically. He had to gather the four petals so that Bowser could sacrifice Princess Daisy. Or he could just leave, maybe take the Princess along to her freedom, and choke as the collar around his neck activated.

"Go see the Princess!" Petal announced with a twirl before his face. "I peek while you gone. See her crying."

Luigi shot up. Daisy, crying? He didn't want to imagine it. Petal tapped his mask and he grabbed it before sprinting down the hall and unbolting the door to the Princess' room.

Reflexes trained after years of travelling with his brother were the only thing that kept him from getting clobbered in the head by a chair.

"Princess?" he questioned in a squeak.

Seeing that her surprise attack failed, Daisy dropped the chair. Her ginger hair bounced around her head and her blue eyes were as clear as a crystal lake.

It dawned on Luigi then. Petal had tricked him.

"That was a nice dodge," she reluctantly complimented him as he breathed a sigh of relief. "Something wrong?"

"Oh no," he assured her, "someone just told me something untrue about your highness."

"Wanted to check that the ransom was still here?" Daisy shot, dropping down to sit on the bed.

"Ransom?" He hadn't heard about any ransom.

"Well, yeah. Aren't you going to trade me for Princess Peach or something?" she asked, matter-of-factly.

In that moment, Luigi felt a strong connection to Princess Daisy. There was a similarity between them which he had overlooked, because she was a much-beloved princess. What she had said echoed his thoughts when he was left at home while Mario travelled. People looking for help would sometimes turn up on their doorstep and he would offer his assistance if Mario was away.

More often than not, around ninety-eight percent of the time, they refused him. Suddenly, despite travelling for miles, they were willing to wait for the red-capped plumber to return.

"Trading you for Princess Peach hasn't even crossed Bowser's mind," he told her. He wasn't about to tell her what had crossed his mind instead.

"Oh. Well. I feel stupid." She sighed. "Why kidnap me then?"

"I'm afraid to say that was my idea." Even working for the bad guys, Luigi couldn't bring himself to lie.

She glanced up at him with an undecipherable expression, a small frown and blue eyes bright. Luigi's heart squeezed at the sight and he felt the weight of his betrayal sink in his stomach.

"Really?"

"We're splitting the Mushroom Kingdom forces in two, weakening them," Luigi told her. "They must protect the Princess but they also must save you."

Daisy flicked a hand through her hair.

"If you had said that in the first place, I would have known that you came up with the idea."

"What?"

She smirked at him, blue eyes sparkling.

"You're the only one here who has a good head on his shoulders," she flattered him, "and Bowser couldn't come up with anything that resembles strategy."

Was she flirting with him? Luigi wondered if she meant it or whether this was part of a plan to escape. He would probably find thinking easier if his damn heart would quieten down so he could concentrate!

"I-uh, your highness flatters me," he stammered out. He hadn't felt this nervous in months, his stomach all aflutter like right before a big adventure.

She giggled. "Your ears have gone pink!" she exclaimed in a high voice.

Luigi jolted and covered his ears with his hands. They certainly felt hot, just like his face.

He was very glad she couldn't see his face.

"Well, I'll leave you now," he said with a slightly awkward bow, his hands still covering his ears.

With that said, Luigi fled.

* * *

The trip to Muda Kingdom, Sarasaland, was quiet. Luigi locked himself up in his room on the cruiser and refused to some out for most of the trip. The soldiers and servants seemed to have been told to ignore him, for which he was glad. He was still reminiscing over his chat with Princess Daisy the previous day. Yeah, he had a crush on her but he expected it to remain unrequited. Except for his brother, who was the exception to most rules, plumbers didn't get princesses. And kidnapping someone wasn't a good way to fall in love, he knew that even if Bowser didn't.

"Okay, no more talking with the Princess," he decided right before they arrived in the watery kingdom of ocean, mountain and beach. He would only go to Daisy once he found Petal's body. Then she would be free and he wouldn't see her again.

"Dark 'stashe." Luigi sighed and opened the door when Kamek knocked. It wouldn't do any good to ignore the koopa.

He had tried, a few days after he joined and the frustration got to him. He had locked himself in his room and refused to come out. Without a second thought, Kamek had activated the ring around his neck. He felt like he had bruises for days and sometimes woke up in the middle of the night, thinking he couldn't breathe. He vowed never to give them another reason to do that to him again.

"Have we arrived?" he asked calmly, the white mask fixed to his face once again.

"We have," Kamek responded, eyeing him suspiciously. "You just have to enter the temple and pluck the petal from its place on the altar."

"That sounds easy," Luigi responded, hoping it was as such. He followed Kamek as the Magikoopa walked towards the cruiser exit.

"Unfortunately, our sources say that Mario is heading this way."

"What?" Luigi was truly surprised by this. Why wasn't Mario heading towards Bower's Castle? Didn't he need to save Princess Daisy?

"I know not what he's thinking but, maybe he suspects the Princess is with us?" Kamek suggested.

Luigi didn't know what to think. For once, he didn't understand his brother. No. It was easier to understand Mario when he was standing beside him than when they were on opposite sides.

"Take Private Goomp with you," Kamek ordered. Luigi nodded and jumped off the deck of the Cruiser, landing comfortably on the ground two stories below.

"You jump like a Mario," Private Goomp pointed out in awe as Luigi landed.

Private Goomp was a Goomba who wore blue pyjamas complete with a Santa-like hat.

Luigi gave him an order to follow him. He didn't want to talk about or encourage talk about any resemblance to Mario. If the realised he was Luigi, chances were they would get rid of him. Bowser's minions were nothing if not loyal. They certainly would not appreciate a traitor in their ranks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

The temple which housed the blue petal was damp. Luigi shivered in the cool air and trudged along with Private Goomp in front of him.

It seemed more like a tunnel than a temple. The stone walls had eroded and cold, damp dirt crumbled through at points. Water was everywhere. Most of the Muda Kingdom was underwater with only a few floating cities for those people who couldn't live underwater.

The Koopa Cruiser had been especially modified to be submerged underwater in order to travel the distance to the temple.

"This is creepy," Private Goomp commented, his voice bouncing off empty walls. Luigi shivered and rubbed his hands across his arms.

He didn't respond. Luigi rarely spoke to the other minions. He had heard them whisper that he was the cool, silent-type but, really, he was afraid. Afraid they would recognise him. Afraid that they, too, would hate him. Afraid to say the wrong thing. Afraid, afraid, afraid.

"It would help if you talked back," Private Goomp said, turning to glare back at him. His blue, Santa hat bobbed as he walked.

"I don't know what to say," Luigi admitted.

"Do you think Mario will really come here?" He supposed that was as good as place as any to start a conversation.

"I don't know," Luigi responded with a sigh.

"Do you think you can beat him?" Private Goomp asked with interest, "I've tried, he's a tough nut."

"I don't know. I really don't want to find out." Luigi really didn't want to find out. He couldn't even imagine fighting Mario.

Luigi was glad when the conversation was stopped there as they emerged from the pathway tunnel into a large room.

Pyramid stairs stood at the far end, with a large stone altar at the top. A blue tapestry hung across it.

"Is that it?" Private Goomp wandered over to the stairs and stared up.

Luigi didn't pause and just waltzed up the stairs to the altar. He just had to take the petal and get out of here, job done. A sense of urgency was growing and his senses were screaming to get out.

The petal sat at the top of the altar. Despite all the time it had been ignored, it looked as fresh as if it had been plucked just that moment. It sat comfortably in Luigi's hand, almost like a coin.

"Let's go," he ordered Private Goomp.

"Stop!" They froze as the order rang out.

Mario; Luigi's older, rounder and more iconic brother ran into the room. His moustache quivered and his face was red.

"Aw, no! It's Mario!" Private Goomp panicked. He dashed from side-to-side in a panic and Luigi descended the stairs.

A strange feeling stirred in Luigi as he stood before his brother. He quietly recalled other times when they stood against each other even though he hadn't been in his right mind back then.

Despite that he mostly recalled Daisy. She was stuck back at Bowser's Castle, waiting for rescue and yet, Mario was here.

Luigi couldn't help thinking that if it was Princess Peach, Mario would give everything to save her.

"You know Bowser has the Princess stowed away in his castle, right?" Luigi asked clearly. His voice rang out as he stood across from his brother. _Why aren't you saving her?_

"I know," Mario responded, his voice lilted with his accent. Luigi had suppressed his, wanting to fit in with the toads and not stand out any more than he did.

"Then why are you here?" he asked. A smile that no one could see graced his face in excitement. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not a princess."

"The Sarasaland King thought that Bowser would try to gather the four petals," Mario explained. His stand slowly shifted into one for battle. "I can't let that happen."

"Well, I can't let you stop me." There was no telling what they would do to Daisy if he failed here. He also shifted his stance, even though he knew he was at a disadvantage. He couldn't use his Thunderhand because that would give him away. He bolted for Mario and, in a surprising move, slid around the other man.

"I'll be leaving now!" he announced, sprinting down the tunnel. Private Goomp had gone ahead of him as he had fled as soon as the two brothers confronted each other.

* * *

Luigi was relived to get back to the Koopa Cruiser. He spotted another submarine across the cave entrance which he assumed Mario used, but he didn't have time to really look.

He jumped onto deck and quickly went inside as the Cruiser pulled out and under the water.

"Thought you wouldn't come back," Kamek commented as he passed him the petal. "Just give me a moment to examine this."

Behind his mask, Luigi's eyes widened as Kamek pulled out a pale red object from beneath his cloak. It was round with closed up petals and there was no doubt in Luigi's mind about what it was.

Petal's body. A thrill rushed through him at the realisation. He had found it. Now, he just had to get it away from Kamek.

Petal's empty shell of a body began to glow a soft blue as it was brought closer to the blue petal Luigi had brought back.

"It's the real deal," Kamek announced. "Now, to Easton Kingdom."

Luigi sighed. It would be late, probably almost the next day, by the time they reached the next Kingdom.

"If so, I'm going to bed," he announced, walking out of the control room. Private Goomp followed him out a moment later, possibly on orders from Kamek to watch him.

Private Goomp was oddly silent as they walked down the metal halls of the Koopa Cruiser.

It wasn't until Luigi reached his room that the other spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Luigi suppressed a sigh. He wanted to sleep but he couldn't leave Private Goomp feeling guilty. Most of Bowser's minions were actually alright guys, despite their actions.

"What for?"

"Back in the temple, I ran as soon as Mario turned up." Private Goomp sounded really upset about this. "It's just, I don't like fighting without Corporal Paraplonk and Sergeant Guy. We're a trio."

"It's fine," Luigi responded softly. Private Goomp's words about being a trio and fighting together made him think of Mario. He really missed being partners with his brother. "I wouldn't have been able to run if you hadn't gone first." He let out a snort. "I'd rather avoid fighting Mario if I can."

"I hear you," Private Goomp responded with a bob of his large, light brown head. The top of his cap swung around at the movement. "Well, I better return."

Back in his room, Luigi cried once again. He cried because he missed his brother and partner more than ever. He missed fighting in sync, being able to move without worrying about where the other person was. He missed the feeling when they defeated an enemy, that feeling of pride in himself and his brother.

They did good together, helping people and saving world. Alone, Luigi felt he was unable to do anything good.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

The Easton Kingdom was almost the complete opposite of the Muda Kingdom. The ground was rocky and hard. Water was scarce.

Luigi was thankful that the sun didn't shine harshly upon this land and for the clouds in the sky.

This time they were after the red petal. It was hidden in a temple which was placed in the middle of a small city. Luigi kept his mask on as he followed Sergeant Guy through the city.

Sergeant Guy was a cloaked and masked Shy Guy who wore green and carried a silver pipe and Magikoopa's wand on his back. He had inquired about why Luigi wore a similar mask, since he obviously wasn't a Shy Guy. Luigi had yet to answer him.

To Luigi's surprise, they were able to walk through the city unhindered. The main path, a large dirt track pounded harder than rock by all the people who walked over it daily, tracked right through to the temple. It was at the back end of the city, the path becoming a staircase that entered deep into the earth and was flanked by rock towers that resembled tall faces.

"Let's go, let's go," Sergeant Guy chanted as they wandered down the stairs.

Luigi couldn't help looking nervously around and imagining what would happen if the dirt ceiling collapsed.

The staircase led to a large room. Six pillars stood in two rows, holding the ceiling up. Pictures and names had been scrawled into the hard, dirt walls.

There was no sign of a red petal.

"Maybe someone already took it," Luigi suggested. This place was obviously a tourist attraction and it was possible that a tourist found and took the petal.

"Our orders were to get the red petal," Sergeant Guy pointed out. "So, we should at least look around."

"Yeah, I know," Luigi responded. He walked around the room, examining every inch. He admired the pictures and wondered who the owners of each name were and what they were like.

There was still no sign of a red petal.

"Looking for something?" a voice asked from the entrance.

Luigi jumped and turned back to face Mario.

"Yeah, a red petal. Have you seen it?" It couldn't hurt to ask, Mario obviously already knew they were after them. He was here after all. Instead of saving Princess Daisy.

Luigi wondered if Bowser had taken his chance to get Princess Peach yet.

Mario raised an eyebrow, as if he couldn't believe that Luigi was asking.

"The inhabitants of this city already removed it," he explained, "as they didn't want to risk someone coming in here and stealing it."

Luigi frowned as he thought. The inhabitants probably didn't keep it out for display. At least, he hadn't heard any mention of it.

"We should search the mayor's house," Sergeant Guy suggested in a low voice.

Luigi shook his head and once again faced Mario.

"I bet you have it," he said. The inhabitants wanted to keep it safe and where was safer than in the hands of the Mushroom Kingdom's hero?

The light blush that came to Mario's cheeks told him his guess was spot-on. At the same time, he realised he would have to fight his brother to get the petal.

"You work for Bowser, don't you?" Mario shouted at him as his hands flared up in flame.

"That's right," Luigi responded matter-of-factly. In his Dark 'stashe disguise, he didn't feel a need to pretend otherwise.

His statement seemed to have flipped a switch in Mario. Suddenly, Luigi had to be sliding, dodging, jumping and moving out of the way as a barrage of fireballs were thrown in his direction. Thankfully, there were pillars to hide behind and a lot of room to move in.

Sergeant Guy ran around, doing a satisfactory job of dodging all the attacks. He had an easier time than Luigi since most of the attacks were focused on Luigi.

"Are you crazy? You'll bring the whole place down!" Luigi yelled out, trying to get his message heard over the sounds of fire. He had noticed the pillars starting to go black and crack. They wouldn't be able to take much more of this before they came crashing down, bringing the whole place down with them.

A moment of distraction and Mario shoved him to the ground. Luigi tried to push him off, but Mario gripped his shoulders tight.

"No more running!" Mario announced in an angry voice.

Needless to say, Luigi was shocked. He had never seen Mario like this.

"What have you done with Princess Daisy? If you've hurt her like, like," Mario's voice cracked and guilt thudded in Luigi's gut.

"Like your brother?" he questioned. As soon as he said it, he realised that it was the wrong thing to say. Unshed tears sparked in Mario's blue eyes and a fist was raised to hit him. Luigi reacted and shoved Mario to the side, rolling on top of him and pinning him down, effectively reversing their positions.

Mario growled out some impolite phrases and swears, in Italian. Luigi knew he only had a few moments until Mario realised that he was stronger and threw him off.

"Princess Daisy is not in any immediate danger." Or so Luigi hoped. "But, you might want to worry about that pink Princess of yours."

Mario's eyes widened in understanding and Luigi took his chance to snatch the petal from his brother's pockets.

"A little payment for the tip," he said, making sure Mario knew he had it. He felt a little sorry for his brother; he would have to decide whether to stop Luigi from collecting the rest of the petals and delivering them to Bowser or whether to travel back to the Mushroom Kingdom to protect Princess Peach.

Rescuing Princess Daisy was probably also one of Mario's objectives but considering he was here, Luigi didn't think it was high on the list.

"Let's go!" Luigi ordered, turning back to Sergeant Guy.

Sergeant Guy nodded and released a smoke bomb, blinding Mario as they dashed for the exit.

Two down, two to go.

* * *

Kamek checked the petal, pronounced it 'real' and ordered them back to the castle for a rest.

Luigi was relieved but also impatient. He had bought them a few days with his actions in the Easton temple. Mario would be out of their hair as he tried to figure out what to do and Luigi was kind of glad that even he couldn't tell what Mario's next move would be.

It would be the perfect time to swoop in and 'collect', he didn't want to think of it as 'stealing', the rest of the petals. However, he also needed to stop and think. Not 'rest' per say as he managed to get enough sleep that he wasn't tired, but he did need to think about what he had found out. Mario believed someone had hurt Luigi. Judging by the look he had gotten and the fury behind his attacks, Luigi wouldn't be surprised if Mario believed him dead. He really hoped that Toadsworth wasn't forcing Mario to work while grieving. Although, it was more likely that Mario was working in order to avoid grieving and thinking about it.

Bowser summoned him the moment they landed.

"He calls, you respond," Kamek told him, when he pointed out that he was supposed to help with the unloading of the Koopa Cruiser.

Bowser was sitting upon his throne, with a grumpy look on his face. Judging by the state of the room around him; smashed chairs and burnt curtains most noticeable, Luigi figured that Bowser had been in a furious rage earlier.

"The only reason I'm not making plumber toast right now, is because you reported the Princess' earlier attack on you," Bowser informed him, ever the haughty leader.

Luigi's gaze dropped to the ground. He had told Kamek and then Bowser, about Daisy trying to knock him out as he entered the room. He had hoped that it would be enough for them to ban him from seeing her as he needed an incentive to keep away from her. The way he felt around her, it was distracting and were not feelings he wanted his Dark 'stache persona to have.

"May I ask; what has your nastiness all riled up?" Luigi never referred to Bowser as 'Lord' or 'Highness'. Bowser was not a leader he respected and someone he felt was unworthy of royal titles. Instead, Luigi used some of Kamek's phrases to refer to Bowser. Most consisted of unpleasant traits, which Bowser most certainly possessed, and Luigi could pretend that he was insulting the Koopa King instead.

"The Orange Princess knocked out my minions and tried to ESCAPE!" Bowser roared, the resulting rumble almost enough to knock Luigi off his feet.

Luigi waited for Bowser to calm down. If he said anything, he knew Bowser would yell again. The Koopa King huffed, smoke hissing from his large snout as he stared Luigi down.

"You look after her," Bowser finally said.

"What?" No, no, no! He didn't want to see the Princess again. Not like this!

"I'm not letting any other minions screw up! You take her food and make sure the room is fit for a Princess. AND NO OTHER MINIONS ARE TO SET FOOT IN HER ROOM!"

By now, Luigi knew a dismissal when he heard it. Without having a chance to try and change Bowser's mind, he dashed from the hall. The minions who had been listening from outside scattered at the sight of him.

Luigi sighed. They would spread Bowser's order fast and no minion who valued their life would go near Daisy's room. If he didn't look after her, no one would. Luigi shivered at the thought of Princess Daisy, usually so vibrant and cheerful, dull and lifeless from hunger or disease.

He grabbed about three meals worth of food from the kitchen and began the trek to her room, with a momentary stop at his own.

"Princess got caught again," Petal told him in a sad voice, "soon after you left. Big Spiny roar, order no more minions. Princess rage but soon hungry. No food or friends." Luigi swallowed at the thought of what Daisy had been through.

It was all his fault.

"Petal help!" Petal then announced, "I sneak Princess little food. Kitchen no see me. Princess no see me."

"Thank you, Petal," Luigi said, blinking the tears from his eyes. He could cry later, when there wasn't a hungry princess waiting for him.

The pale white flower spirit did a happy flip with her closed petals trailing like a singular tail behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Luigi carefully pushed open the door to Princess Daisy's room.

"Princess?" he called out, holding the tray of food before him.

"Go away." The grumble came from a large mound in the fluffy pink sheets on the bed. A moment later, the sheets were tossed aside as Daisy quickly sat up. Recognition lit up her face as her orange hair puffed messily around her head. "Dark 'stashe?" she sounded surprised to see him.

"Uh, yeah," Luigi responded, bring over the food and placing it over her lap. "Unfortunately, I'm your only servant at the moment. Seems you offended the other ones." He had attempted a light joke while trying to explain the situation and was rewarded with a smile.

"Well, they offended me first. Working for such a despicable creature! I don't know how Peach can stand this!"

"I work for him too, you know." He said it more for his sake than hers. He needed to remember that he wasn't here to rescue her. No matter how much he wanted to take her away from here, he just wasn't able to. Not without forfeiting his own life.

He was a coward.

Daisy misread the sadness in his stance.

"I don't care about that," she told him. "Even though, you could always quit."

"I can't quit," he responded. Then, hoping to move the conversation away from himself, he pointed towards the sandwiches, juice and mushroom soup he had gathered from the kitchens. "Hurry up and eat, before it gets cold. I'm sure you're hungry."

Daisy stared at him for a moment before beginning to eat.

"Start with the soup," Luigi advised, "if you haven't eaten in a few days, it would be better to start with that and leave the rest for later." He made a mental note to bring her fruit, bread and water before he left for Sarasaland. She would need to be able to eat while he was gone.

Luigi had no doubts that Bowser wouldn't let any minions back into this room while the Princess was here.

"Am I Bowser's only prisoner?" Daisy suddenly asked, breaking the silence between them.

"No." Even if he didn't count himself, Luigi had seen the dungeons a few times during his servitude. Bowser liked to punish minions and anyone in his lands who didn't approve of the way he ran things. The dungeons also served as their prison system, should any inhabitant break the law. As such, the dungeons were rarely completely empty.

They were also a maze that snaked under Bowser's Castle and surrounding area. Luigi had almost gotten lost the one time he snuck in there to try and find Petal's body.

Luigi had been caught up recalling the sounds and darkness of the dungeons that he didn't hear what Daisy said next. "Pardon?"

"Is there a chance-?" she said before pausing and rephrasing, "do you know if Luigi is here? As a prisoner?"

Luigi's heart constricted. So, they were looking for him!

"Luigi?" he questioned, just to check.

"He's about so tall," Daisy held up her hand to around Luigi's height. Luigi was glad that he was sitting on the bed. She had been close enough to showing his right height that, if he had been standing, she might have noticed the resemblance. "Green hat that he doesn't go anywhere without." Which had been his favourite hat too before Bowser had torched it. "Um... brown hair, moustache."

"Sorry Princess, I don't think I've seen him in the dungeons."

Daisy seemed to deflate in front of him. He felt bad for not telling her but he was afraid to tell her. Telling her would achieve nothing, except make being around each other difficult. He couldn't save her and he wouldn't get her hopes up.

Her next words made his face go pale and stomach flip.

"Mario said that Bowser killed him." Her blue eyes, normally so light, flushed with frustration and tears.

Luigi reached over, hoping to comfort her in some way. He ignored his guilt; he could feel guilty later, as he rubbed a soothing hand across her back.

"I'm sorry," he said, heartfelt. For not being able to help you. For lying. For working with Bowser while you all morn.

When Daisy had calmed down a little, she took a deep breath and shuffled away from him.

"It's not your fault," she told him. Then she looked him up and down, searching for a sign of something. "Unless, you weren't there when Luigi...?" She couldn't even say it.

"I know not the name or the description," he lied, "perhaps this happened before my time?"

Daisy considered his words for a moment. He figured that it was hard to tell when someone was lying to you when you couldn't see their face. Although, he suspected she knew he was lying about something.

"I think I'll sleep," she said. If this had been normal circumstances, she probably would have turned away from him but, these weren't normal circumstances. Here, taking your eyes of someone could mean your life.

"Alright," Luigi responded, standing up. He reached over and moved the tray to the bedside table. "I will be in tomorrow with fresh sheets and blankets."

Luigi walked back to his room, his heart made heavy with the knowledge that Princess Daisy hated him.

* * *

Luigi opened the door to the Princess' room and brought the basket of soft linen in. He had picked sheets coloured in yellows and oranges, two of Daisy's favourite colours.

The shower was running and Daisy was nowhere to be seen. Making the assumption that she was in the shower, Luigi set about his work. He stripped the bed and replaced the sheets with an air of mastery. The sheets were crisp and clean, tucked perfectly into corners and set up just like a high-star hotel room.

If he hadn't been trying for perfect neatness, he would have heard the shower switch off. If he hadn't started tidying up the room, he would have noticed the bathroom door open.

He didn't notice until Princess Daisy began rattling the doorknob, trying to open the door to the corridor.

"Wait!" he yelled at her as she dashed off down the hall in a rustle of yellow and orange. He momentarily cursed. Without guards standing by the door, there was no one to slide the beam back into place to lock the door.

Luigi ran after her.

"The Princess is trying to escape!" he called to the first koopa guard he passed. He continued to follow her as the guard moved to raise the alarm.

Daisy ran fast. Luigi was just as fast. However, it meant that it was hard for him to gain any ground while chasing her. It took him a while to figure out where she was heading, although he figured it should have been obvious.

She was running towards the dungeons.

"Princess! Stop! Please!" he yelled out, unwilling to follow her past the large red and black spiked door beyond which were the steps down to the cold, dark dungeons.

"Mario may have given up, but I won't!" she yelled back, "I'm going to find out what happened to him!"

There was a roar and Daisy was almost knocked off her feet. She hesitated for a moment, giving Luigi the chance to grab her. He pinned her arms to her side and pulled her back a little as Bowser stepped into view.

"Where's Luigi, you creep?" Daisy yelled at him. Luigi winced but both his hands were occupied, trying to keep her still, that he couldn't cover her mouth.

"Luigi?" Bowser growled. Luigi cowed under the glance the large koopa gave him. A moment later, Bower's face sported a wide, toothy smile that sent shivers down their spines. "The green 'stashed Mario brother is dead."

Luigi involuntarily shivered. He wished he could tell Daisy the truth but, Bowser would likely kill him right there just to make a point. He knew that Bowser enjoyed having him under his thumb, more so because Mario and the Princesses didn't know. It made Bowser feel smart. The smug look the koopa king would give him at times was evidence of that.

"You lie!" Daisy hissed at him. She was going to say more but Bowser cut her off with a roar.

"Dark 'stashe! Take her back to her room!" he ordered.

Luigi gave a short bow, as much as he could manage while holding the Princess, and began dragging her away.

"Don't," he warned her as she glared at him. "You've said your peace, now retreat."

She was silent all the way back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

There was tightness around his throat, digging in with stinging pains. His lungs screamed for air. His head swam. His body trembled and chilled as his vision and life began to fade.

He fell to his knees, wheezing for air with one hand clawing at his neck as if he could stop it. Air collected in his mouth, unable to move down to his lungs; useless.

 _Stop_. He just wanted it to stop. Tears pooled in his eyes in response to his unvoiced protest and his heart thudded in fear and panic.

Then, suddenly, he could breathe again. The pain retreated, leaving him able to breathe. He gulped down air while ignoring the tears streaking down his cheeks.

A large, grubby claw clenched at his hair. It pulled his head up until he was face-to-face with Bower's snout.

"Shall I give your Princess evidence, so she knows I told the truth?" Bowser asked in a low tone. _Shall I show her your dead body?_ was what he was really asking.

Luigi knew that Bowser could see the fear in his eyes, that the large king relished it. He had ordered Luigi to take off the white, Shy Guy-like mask just so he could see his face.

Another claw brushed against his face.

 _Well? Bowser questioned._

* * *

"No!" Luigi shoot up with a cry. He scrambled back against the headboard, momentarily lost in recollections of his dreams and memories. He struggled to breathe against the panic and tears flooding down his cheeks.

"Luigi?" Petal's voice reminded him of where he was and helped calm him a little. The little spirit's glow worked almost like a nightlight.

"I'm sorry for waking you," Luigi said. He clasped his hands together and rested his head on his fist.

Bowser had punished him for letting Princess Daisy escape. It hadn't mattered that he had raised the alarm or that he had caught her. Or maybe it had, in that he was still alive and not rotting in a ditch somewhere.

Or rotting in Daisy's room. He shuddered at the thought.

"Petal, is the princess okay?" He had asked the question a few times since he couldn't hover over Daisy to make sure Bowser doesn't punish her.

"Princess is okay. Big Spiny doesn't care about her." Petal paused for a moment, before telling him, "she cries. She cries and calls your name."

Luigi's heart clenched in his chest and tears began to fall down his cheeks. He wanted nothing more than to go into the Princess' room and show her he was still alive. But, if he revealed himself at this point, Bowser would probably just kill him on principle.

"Kamek has your body," he told Petal, remembering the promise they had made each other. He would get a princess to Petal and Petal would free said princess. "Do you think you could move it?" Even as a spirit, Petal had been able to touch things. But moving things over a distance could be difficult.

"I can try," Petal announced with determination. She wasn't about to let big Spiny hurt the Princess or Luigi any more.

"You might want to wait until we get back," Luigi said, his mind whirling. "Kamek uses your body to check whether the petals are real. It won't be until we have all four that he'll drop his guard." Seeing that Petal wasn't convinced by what he was saying, he added, "and I want to gather the rest of the petals. You can take them when you leave with Daisy and keep them away from Bowser."

There was an indescribable expression on Petal's face, like she wanted to tell him something but didn't think he would like it. She had been making that expression a lot and Luigi had learnt to ignore it.

If it was important, he figured she would tell him.

* * *

It was the day they would leave for Sarasaland and the final two petals. The Koopa Cruiser would ship out in the afternoon, reaching Birabuto early in the morning; during the perfect time to plunder and steal.

Luigi went to great pains to collect enough food for the next few days. He bundled it all in a basket and knocked on the door to Daisy's room.

"Go away!" the Princess shouted.

Luigi sighed and removed the barricade before walking in. The guards stationed at the door let him pass and slid the barricade back into place as he entered.

A pillow immediately assaulted his face, bouncing off the mask and possibly permanently flattening his nose.

He ignored it. In fact, he was a little surprised that she hadn't tried to smash his face in with something harder. She was grieving and he was guilty.

"Princess, here's your food for the next few days," he explained as he placed the basket on the dining table in the centre of the room.

"Don't want it," she grumbled to him, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Her face was screwed up in resentment.

Luigi sighed and dug down into the bottom of the basket.

"I'm going away for a few days on an errand," he said, "but I did bring you a present."

She didn't respond. He was a little frustrated since he was taking a real risk bringing this to her. If Bowser found out or even Kamek, Luigi didn't know what they would do but he knew it would end up with a punishment for him at least.

He placed the large white gloves in front of her and stepped away.

"What?" she questioned in confusion, looking up at him then to the gloves. She picked them up and examined them.

They were much larger than her dainty hands and stubbier too. When she noticed the name written inside them, she gasped.

"These are Luigi's!" she announced, examining them once more with renewed enthusiasm.

Luigi smiled as he watched a little bit of the old, energetic Daisy creep back in. They were his old gloves, the ones he replaced the day he joined Bowser. The ones he wore now were grey leather. They weren't as conductive as his cotton white gloves and so kept his thunderhand from activating properly so he didn't accidentally give away his identity while defending himself.

He walked towards the door and knocked, asking to be let out. As he slipped outside, he heard Daisy cry out;

"Wait! Where did you find these?"

* * *

The Birabuto Kingdom was shrouded in cool darkness. There were pyramids in the background and the odd palm tree. They landed a fair distance away from the city and walked in. This time Corporal Paraplonk came with him. The flying, red Koopa Paratroopa wore a red bucket on his head and hovered everywhere.

"Wow, people work early here," Corporal Paraplonk commented as they walked through the town. It was a long time before the sun would rise, yet there were still people around. Lion-like Gaos, Goombos; the Sarasaland cousins of Goombas, and black-shelled Bombshell Koopas went about their daily business in the dark.

"I guess it must get really hot during the day," Luigi commented. He guessed that the down-time for the city was during the middle of the day, when the sun would beat down mercilessly.

"So, where do you think we'll find this petal-thing?"

Luigi looked around. The buildings were built close together, with coloured banners hanging over doors and the surrounding street. The place looked like one clustered marketplace.

"Didn't you listen when Kamek explained?" Luigi questioned with a sigh. "The petal should be in the main hall."

The main hall was a large, church-like building in the middle of the city. Unlike all the other buildings, it existed by itself, with a large path area around it. It had three steeples, two at the front and one at the back.

Kamek had said that the third petal was hidden in the front left steeple.

"How am I supposed to get up there?" Luigi questioned, looking up. The wall was smooth and impossible to climb or jump. The front doors were locked.

"That's what I'm here for!" Corporal Paraplonk said, hovering above him.

Luigi sighed and held up his hands, closing his eyes. He felt the ground rush away from him as Corporal Paraplonk pulled him into the air.

He bit down a scream of terror and kept his eyes squeezed tightly shut. Even when he felt the ground beneath his feet, he stayed completely still. If he moved, he would certainly collapse in fear.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

It wasn't until Corporal Paraplonk called out to him that Luigi opened his eyes. The steeple was quite large with a staircase off in the far right corner and a bell hanging down from the centre.

With a plumber in red standing under it.

"You know, standing under that bell can't be good for you," he told Mario. He felt a sting of emotion, seeing his brother standing there with a serious frown on his face. Luigi liked to see Mario happy and that would never change.

"We're asking you nicely to leave." Princess Peach stood beside Mario with her parasol in hand, her face impassive. Her long blond hair had been tied up in a ponytail and she looked ready for action, even in her long pink princess dress.

Even Toadsworth was there, standing before the princess with his walking stick held before him.

"So, this is your plan?" Luigi questioned, turning to Mario. "I tell you Bowser's after the Princess and you decide to keep her with you?"

"It was my idea," Princess Peach said.

"We cannot abandon Sarasaland to the likes of you!" Toadsworth explained, waving his brown, mushroom-capped walking stick around. "The Princess wishes to assist and I agreed."

Luigi would have loved to see that conversation. Toadsworth rarely let the princess do anything he deemed 'dangerous'. Which meant that he thought the castle wasn't safe.

"Well, I'm sorry. But, I'm under orders to collect the petals." If he didn't, they would have no use for Daisy and Bowser would do away with her.

He glanced up at Corporal Paraplonk, hoping that the other would get what he wanted him to do. While he had the Mushroom Kingdom envoy's attention, Corporal Paraplonk was free to search the area.

"Find the petal!" he ordered Corporal Paraplonk when the Paratroopa didn't move.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Mario responded, shifting into a battle stance.

Luigi stood there and raised his hands.

"I'm not looking for a fight."

"Well, you're going to get one!"

"We can't let you take the petal," Princess Peach added, levelling her parasol at him. It made a surprisingly intimidating picture.

Luigi pulled out a hammer. He had borrowed it from the Hammer Bros just in case he ran into Mario. His own hammer would be recognisable to his brother. Luigi muttered an Italian curse under his breath even as his stomach jumped and jostled with nerves.

He needed to stall them, preferably without a fight.

"Are you ever going to rescue the Princess?" he asked, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

He saw the confusion on their faces as Mario and Toadsworth turned to look at Princess Peach.

Luigi shook his head and made a disgusted noise. Had they really forgotten? Daisy was trapped, had been for almost a week, and they weren't even going to rescue her?

"Not her! The Flower Princess!"

"Daisy hasn't escaped yet?" Peach sounded really surprised and worried. Luigi figured that it made sense. If it hadn't been for him, Daisy would already have escaped.

That thought certainly didn't help the swirling of self-loathing in his stomach.

"We need the petals before we can rescue Princess Daisy of Sarasaland from Bowser's clutches," Toadsworth admitted.

"If Bowser uses Daisy to unlock the power of the petals, she won't make it," Peach cried, "please! Please stop!"

Luigi stepped back, the hand clutch the hammer dropping to the side. He sighed and looked up at Corporal Paraplonk, who was hovering near the top of the bell. The Paratroopa gave him thumbs up and displayed the petal clutched in his hands.

Luigi was really glad that Mario's group couldn't see beyond the bell.

"If Bowser doesn't keep getting the petals, he'll kill her anyway," Luigi explained.

He heard them gasp and was glad that he wasn't looking at their faces. Princess Daisy was not Princess Peach. And so, she held no worth to the Koopa king.

"Dark 'stashe! Incoming sandstorm!" Corporal Paraplonk reported, flying back down towards them.

Luigi cursed loudly, in Italian. He had taken some time to research each of the Kingdoms before arriving there and Birabuto's sandstorms were known to be deadly.

"What?" Princess Peach questioned.

"What's going on?" Mario questioned suspiciously.

At least Toadsworth seemed to know what was happening. "Princess! Get inside!" he ordered, pulling her over towards the stairs that lead down into the building.

Luigi knew that cover wasn't going to extend to him. He needed to find alternative shelter quickly, for both him and Corporal Paraplonk. He could see the rising dust cloud heading towards them and the people going about their business below. The steeple rose high over the surrounding buildings, the only area able to see the horizon.

They had no idea what was coming.

"Cover your ears!" Luigi yelled to Mario and Corporal Paraplonk. He took a moment to see that they complied and threw his hammer at the bell.

A low 'dong' rang out, the vibrations in the air almost visible as the sound carried over the city. The bell told everyone to get inside quickly, an alert system set up for the safety of the inhabitants of the city.

Luigi had covered his ears a moment too late. Now they and his head felt like they were stuffed full of cotton that squeezed painfully. He almost expected to see blood on his hands when he pulled them away.

Riding the adrenaline that the vibrations released, Luigi climbed the short wall of the steeple and waved Corporal Paraplonk over.

Then, he did something that in his right mind, he would never do. Luigi jumped off a building. Corporal Paraplonk grabbed him and slowed his decent so that he didn't get injured but it was still terrifying. Luigi was certain he would have nightmares about this.

* * *

Luigi ran down the streets, looking for somewhere; anywhere, that he could stay. Most citizens worked quickly, locking down buildings faster than he could comprehend.

Corporal Paraplonk said something but Luigi couldn't hear it. He only noticed the paratroopa was talking as he looked around and caught the Paratroopa's mouth moving. He couldn't hear past the ringing in his ears. Yet, even in his addled state, he managed to find two toad children, a young gao and an old bombshell koopa out on the streets and huddled in an alleyway.

"Come with me!" he told them, maybe yelled, as he ushered them out of the alleyway. He could almost feel the dust descending on them and he knew time was running out.

He pointed to a random doorway and Corporal Paraplonk bashed it in with his head. Spouting apologies to the inhabitants inside; a young toad and toadette couple, Luigi shoved the stragglers inside, double checked that Corporal Paraplonk made it in and re-barricaded the door, using his thunderhand to fuse the door to the frame.

Finally safe, he settled on the floor, not even moving a single step from the doorway. He let Corporal Paraplonk explain things while he waited for the ringing in his ears to subside.

When it had started to fade, he finally looked around. The toad couple were trembling from terror and the stragglers he picked up from the street were making themselves at home.

"I'm really sorry about this," he said to the toadette. He pulled Corporal Paraplonk aside and collected the petal off him before giving him orders to clean up after the group.

He got an estimate of damage from the toad and paid him a little for the damage and their hospitality.

He cleaned and, after checking with the toadette whether it was okay, cooked up a nice plate of spaghetti, complete with a quick version of his special sauce. It may have been stuffy with all of them crammed into the one building, but there was never a wrong time for spaghetti.

And when the storm finally subsided, he made sure the group he plucked off the streets left and that the couple they had stormed in on were okay and left with Corporal Paraplonk in tow.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

Kamek wasn't happy about how long it had taken them to get back. Thankfully, Corporal Paraplonk gave his version of events and testified that Luigi had not left him for a moment.

"We're going back to Bowser Castle?" Luigi and Corporal Paraplonk gasped in sync when Kamek informed them of their next move.

"The sandstorm made a mess of the Cruiser and we need to make repairs. His stinginess wouldn't like it if we didn't look after his ship." Kamek didn't look up from the paper scroll he was looking at as he spoke.

Luigi nodded and wandered back to his room with a heavy heart. Seeing Mario, Princess Peach and Toadsworth had hurt more than he thought it would.

He wanted so badly to go with them, to leave Bowser and his evil plans behind. He wanted to be able to lean on Mario; the one who made the right decisions and was brave enough to drag him along while he saved the world. He wanted to chat with Princess Peach about royal events over tea and biscuits. And, oddly enough, he wanted to hear one of Toadsworth's lectures.

He missed them.

* * *

Then he would think about Daisy. She was the bright, vibrant princess of Sarasaland and one of the only girls who didn't get turned off by his nervousness and stuttering. Most of the time, he didn't like how she teased him but, he knew that was how she showed affection. He had also seen her at Royal events as the Princess of Sarasaland. She was a lot more subdued and but it showed that she knew how to take her role seriously. She knew how to bide her time.

Right now, she was in Bowser's clutches and he knew he had to get her out.

"Sorry, man, I don't think she wants to speak to you," the guard said when he walked up to Princess Daisy's room.

Luigi was still dressed in his Dark 'stashe outfit as he rarely wore anything else these days, so the guard couldn't see the glare he gave them.

"Well, too bad for her," he spat. All his musings on the way back had managed to put him in a really bad mood. But, what he wanted to see her about was important.

"Dude, just let him in," the other Koopa guard said, "you don't want to cross Dark 'stashe, he has the boss' ear."

Luigi nodded and waited as the guards removed the barricade lock.

"Princess?" he called out, walking into the room. He was alert for any signs of a trap.

What he was not alert for was Daisy spinning across the floor. Her feet danced across the ground as she hummed a tone only she understood.

She spotted him and froze, arms held out and mid-spin.

"H-hi?" he stammered, more than a little shocked to see her so carefree.

"Hey," she responded, shifting out of her dancing-pose. She stood there, in the middle of the room, and looked him up and down. "The sands of Birabuto not treat you kindly?"

Although she couldn't see it, his nose crinkled up at the thought of his clothes. The cuffs of his pants and his shoes were practically swimming in sand and he hadn't been able to wash them while on the Koopa Cruiser. She did see his self-conscious shift in stance as he kicked out his leg in an attempt to dislodge some of the sand.

"I think seeing Mario and the Princess Toadstool was more of a pain," he responded honestly.

"Peach was there?"

"They think that, by getting the petals from me, they can save you," he told her. He didn't know how they could believe that. He had already gathered three of the petals and he didn't keep the petals on him, they all went to Kamek. He supposed they did not know her fate should he not gather the petals.

"So, they are trying to save me?" Daisy questioned, plonking herself onto the bed.

"I suppose so."

"I wish they'd put this much effort into saving Luigi," she grumbled.

Luigi walked over to the bed and sat beside her.

"So, this 'Luigi' you keep mentioning, what happened to him?"

She stared at him for several moments. He felt a little nervous and almost raised a hand to check that the mask was still in place.

* * *

Finally, she began to speak, staring off into the distance.

"I don't know if you know but, Luigi is Mario's brother. A while back, he went outside Toad Town on an errand. It wasn't anything special, just looking for some fire flowers or something.

"He disappeared. Mario spent the next few days searching for him, at least, until Bowser attacked. Bowser took credit for Luigi's disappearance, even going as far as to outright state that he had killed him. I guess he thought it would make Mario easier to defeat.

"He was wrong. Mario almost killed him. It was only Peach who managed to hold him back. They made him stop searching after that. But, Luigi was still missing."

Luigi had listened to her story with growing horror and guilt. He remembered Bowser's squads cornering him in the forest which, in retrospect, had been stupid of him. He should have found a way to escape.

He was chilled by the thought of his brother almost killing Bowser. Yes, Mario had a temper but it wasn't murderous.

"I'm sorry."

Princess Daisy turned to look at him, confused.

"Why are you sorry?" They had already cleared up the fact that he had nothing to do with Luigi's supposed 'death'.

"It's just," what was he supposed to say now? The words had just tumbled from his mouth! "Just that I never thought one disappearance could hurt you so much."

"I guess you don't get connected to people, in the evil minion business."

Luigi smiled a little under his mask. It was true; he had tried to distance himself from the other minions. He trusted them but, didn't trust himself not to spill something eventually.

Look at what he had already told the princess. He had given her his gloves!

"There are people I'm connected to," he responded, "although I don't think they would agree with what I'm doing right now." Mario certainly wasn't impressed with him. And Princess Peach had tried to talk him out of working for Bowser, so she obviously disapproved.

"Then why are you doing it? Why work for Bowser?" she asked. "I doubt it's because of good dental plans."

Luigi chuckled.

"I told you, I don't have a choice," he responded, "it means my life and the lives of those I care about if I don't work for him. I have to work for him, until I'm certain they can defend themselves."

Princess Daisy gave him a momentary look of pity.

"That's a shame," she said sadly. And confusingly.

Luigi didn't understand where the shame part came in. At least, not until she tackled him to the bed and held him down.

"Princess?" he gasped. She was on top of him, her slender hands wrapped coolly around his wrists and he could smell the sweet, fruit scent of her shampoo and- now was not the time to be thinking about that!

"It's a shame that you have people who you care for but, I need to get out of here! There are people waiting for me too!"

He sighed and shifted his weight, shoving it on top of her and switching their positions.

"There are guards outside, with orders to kill you if you leave," he hissed in her ear. He really didn't want to hear about her trying to escape again. "If you know what's good for you, you'll wait until Mario gets here to save you."

And she kicked out, using his momentary surprise to flip him back under her.

"Being here puts my kingdom in danger," she hissed to him. At least she caught on that they were to be quiet. Luigi knew that the guards also reported what they heard during his visits.

"Your kingdom is fine," Luigi responded, "Mario is looking after it." Although, he suspected Toadsworth was taking care of the day-to-day stuff.

She let him go with a huff. She got up and moved to the other side of the room.

"Give it to me straight, do you think I can escape?"

"No." He saw her crestfallen expression and his heart constricted. But, she had asked for the truth and he had told her the truth. " _Principessa_ , sometimes we have to rely on others." It was something he did far more often than he felt should. His time with Bowser had shown that. He needed Petal's help and Daisy's presence just to remain sane.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

Luigi left shortly after that. He made sure to calm Princess Daisy down. But, he still had his work to do and wasn't supposed to spend all his time with the Princess. He spent too much time with her as is. He often found his feet walking in that direction or his thoughts turning to her; her presence, her appearance, her laugh, and so on. The lightheaded feeling after visiting her was addictive. His heart would thud and squeeze and feel so warm a light that he could forget about being in Bowser's employ for a while.

"Dark 'stashe!" one of the young Magikoopas called out, waddling at a quick pace to catch up with him in the corridor. "Kamek's looking for you!"

Luigi sighed, thanked the Magikoopa and redirected his course. Kamek had a large room at the top of the west wing spire.

The whole spire consisted of nothing but stairs up to Kamek's room. It was a long trek. 103 steps. He had counted.

Luigi often amused himself by wondering how Bowser got his huge body up there.

He knocked and then let himself in.

Kamek was sitting at his desk, grumbling over some spell books. The three petals had been framed and hung above his desk.

Red, blue and yellow. They seemed to shine softly in their cases and he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Dark 'stashe!" Kamek yelled, floating right in his face and snapping him out of his trance.

He jumped in fright.

"Sorry!"

Kamek sighed and twirled his wand in the air.

"I've been researching the last petal," he said, "and I might have stumbled onto something."

Luigi waited patiently. If he tried to make Kamek hurry up, the Magikoopa would activate his collar for the fun of it.

Kamek pointed to one of his books. It was written in an ancient, foreign language and Luigi couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"Previously, I believed that the final petal was hidden in a temple in the Chai Kingdom. But, this book speaks of a legend where the petal vanished from the temple." Kamek stared at him for a moment before continuing.

"The legend states that; 'a woman of flowers took the petal and used its power to save the kingdom of Sarasaland from a great enemy.'"

"'A woman of flowers'?" Luigi really wished legends and prophecies were clearer. What was the point of writing something down, if it couldn't be understood?

"Either a royal or noble or some kind," Kamek explained, "I've yet to translate the bit that tells me where she put the petal after. All I know is she didn't put it back in the temple."

"What now?"

Kamek looked over at him and cackled. Luigi felt a chill take root in his gut. He wasn't going to like this.

"Now? Now, we break into Sarasaland castle. Surely one of their books will describe where the petal ended up."

"Right now?"

"Meet me at the Cruiser's docks in half an hour. We'll leave then."

Luigi nodded and left, thinking about the old legend Kamek had discovered. 'A woman of flowers'; why did that phrase bother him so?

* * *

In the dark of night, Luigi dropped from the Koopa Cruiser to a balcony of Sarasaland castle. Kamek floated safely behind him, watching Luigi with an intensity which made the young man balk.

Kamek used magic to break the lock and Luigi led the way to the castle library. He had only been to Sarasaland castle a handful of times but Kamek had given him a map to memorise. He followed the shortest path, praying that they would stay out of the sight of anyone on late-night duty.

They found the library quickly and Kamek seemed annoyed about that. The Magikoopa dropped to the ground with a grump and moved through the library in quick, snappy movements. He skimmed through books, either returning them to the shelves with a snort or passing them to Luigi to place in a bag. They had about five books tucked away when the door opened in a slam.

"'Bout time," Luigi heard Kamek mutter.

Luigi recoiled back as Princess Peach quickly entered the room. Her hand was clasped tightly around the neck of her parasol and her lips were pressed together tightly.

"You thieves!" she scolded.

Kamek laughed and mounted his broom, holding his wand high. It sparked with magic and Luigi felt terror clench in his gut.

"Princess, you need to leave!" he yelled, over the artificial wind Kamek whipped up.

"Dark 'stashe!" Kamek barked as a warning. He backed his warning up with a slight squeeze from the collar Luigi wore around his neck.

Luigi choked and stepped back, his glaze sliding away from Princess Peach to the ground. He wasn't allowed to interfere unless they attacked and then he was only supposed to protect Kamek.

He should have been able to protect the Princess, even at the cost of his life. But, he couldn't help thinking about Mario; the anger that his brother held from the news of his death, and Daisy's tears.

Daisy. She believed he was still alive and he couldn't disappoint her. He had to return alive, even if it was only to prove her right.

Princess Peach stood her ground against Kamek. Her parasol deflected most of his magic, but she couldn't jump high enough to attack. Not while he flew around on his broom.

Luigi jumped out of the way as she jabbed the parasol towards him. If he hadn't moved, it would have hit him in the gut.

"Princess?" he questioned, jumping out of the way as she attacked again. He was jumping low, no higher than she was able to, so he wasn't giving away any clues to who he really was.

Kamek waved his wand in a circle and pointed it at the princess. The spell jumped off the tip of the wand and hit Princess Peach in the back. She gave a cry as she dropped to the ground. Luigi gasped and dropped down next to her body. He checked for a pulse and sighed in relief when he found it.

"Grab her and let's go," Kamek ordered.

"What?" Luigi questioned, standing up. He turned to face the Magikoopa. "What about the plan?"

"The plan changed," Kamek responded. "When we have a chance to take the Mushroom Princess, we take it."

Luigi shook his head. No wonder Bowser couldn't win; they couldn't even stick to a plan.

"Grab. Her." Kamek ordered in a dark tone.

Luigi sighed again, despairingly this time, and picked up Princess Peach. Her face was screwed up in discomfort and he murmured a quiet apology to her.

Once again, Mario burst through the doors just as they left with the Princess in hand.

* * *

Princess Peach was tied up and escorted to the same room Daisy was being held in. Luigi stood by as Bowser gloated and laughed, tracing a large, reptilian finger down her face.

Nothing changed with the room management; guards would stand outside but Dark 'stashe and Bowser were the only ones allowed inside.

"Petal, we have to do something," Luigi said as he paced his room. Bowser had dismissed him for the rest of the day while Kamek was trying to figure out where the final petal vanished to.

Petal floated around the room, looking a little like an out-of-place Blooper.

"What we do?" Petal questioned in a sad tone. She wasn't able to do anything without the petals. Luigi couldn't leave or betray Bowser without forfeiting his life.

Luigi was about to answer when tightness gripped his throat. He gasped for air, dropping to the ground as all consciousness focused on his throat.

Petal hid, moments before Kamek appeared in the room.

Luigi's blue eyes held Kamek's ones, hidden behind thick frames.

"Why?" he wheezed out, struggling to push the word past the grip on his throat.

"You questioned orders," Kamek explained and then let out a cackle. Luigi's mouth opened in a silent scream as the tightness only got worse. Kamek's next words the last he heard before blackness, "I think you need a little reminder..."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

Luigi shivered as he awoke. He was cold, dizzy and sore. He could hear sobbing nearby and, for once, it wasn't him.

"Petal?" he croaked, his throat burning from the abuse. He tried to stand up, but it just made him feel even worse. He crawled across the ground, spotting Petal under the bed. "It's okay," he said. He held out his hand to the spirit and smiled as she moved towards him.

"Not okay," Petal sniffled, "mean cloth turtle hurt you. I hide. I weak."

"No," Luigi responded, gathering Petal up in his hands and sliding onto his bed. The soft sheets were like fluffy clouds to his exhausted body. "Petal, you are not weak. You help."

"Help?"

"You helped me." Luigi's eyes slid shut under the weight of sleep. "You help me go on, to not give into Bowser's games and tricks." His voice grew distant as his thoughts became sluggish.

He fell asleep without even realising it until he woke hours later. The sun was beginning to set.

Luigi pulled himself out of the little ball he had curled up into. Surprisingly, Petal was still in his hands.

"Hello," he greeted her, a little surprised that she hadn't left. "Petal?" he questioned when she didn't respond.

"I did bad," she mumbled.

Luigi sighed.

"No, you didn't," he reminded her. Petal jumped out of his hands and into the air.

"I did bad!" she repeated, ducking under the bed. Luigi climbed off the bed. She came out moments later, dragging something with her.

Her body.

"I took it," she explained, "cloth turtle think only of hurting you, not of body. I took it back." The spirit looked almost in tears as she recounted. "You said we wait. I did not wait."

"This is fine," Luigi told her. He grabbed his mask and scooped the spirit and body up. "We'll go to the princesses now."

Petal looked confused but, Luigi didn't have time to explain. At any moment, Kamek might realise that the body was missing and come looking for it. He had to get the princesses and Petal out now.

* * *

Luigi collected a cart of food for the princesses to give himself a pretense for visiting their room. The guards let him in with only a comment about how long Princess Peach had been complaining.

"Well, guards change," Luigi reminded him, "at least you don't have to deal with them."

"You!" Princess Peach screeched when he entered. Luigi smiled behind his mask as Daisy held her back when she tried to hurt him.

"Peach! Calm down!" Daisy cried, "he won't hurt us!"

"That doesn't change the fact that he kidnapped us!"

Luigi pushed the cart of food further into the room. He spotted the pitying glance the guards gave him before they shut the door and slid the bolt into place.

"No one is able to leave now," Luigi explained softly.

Princess Peach snubbed him and walked over to the table, planting herself into the seat like a snobby princess. Daisy gave him an amused look and a shrug. Luigi wondered if she could see him panic slightly; he had never seen the Princess act like this before.

"There's someone who wants to meet you," he said to Daisy as he lifted the lid of one of the trays. Petal came floating out, hovering above the platter for a moment before floating around Daisy.

"I am Petal!"

"I think I've seen you before," Daisy commented with a smile.

"Petal needs your help," Luigi explained, holding out the body. "Kamek did something to her and she believes you can fix it."

"Yes! Yes!" Petal agreed, bobbing in the air.

Luigi glanced over at Peach who was watching them with a curious expression on her face.

Daisy caught his look and asked, "are you sure you need me?"

Luigi nodded.

"I have an agreement with Petal," he said, "I bring her a princess and she helps that princess escape. Although," he looked over at Peach. "I hope she might be able to help you both escape."

"What?" Daisy was surprised. All this time, he had been planning something like this? "What do you get out of this?" Peach nodded to show that she had been wondering the same thing.

Luigi thought about how to answer that.

"I guess... I get to keep my integrity," he said. Both of them looked at him like he was crazy and he probably was, a little bit. "I can't fight Bowser but I can't let him get away with his plans," he explained.

"That's a stupid reason," Daisy said, shocking him. "You should come with us."

Luigi's hand unconsciously went to rub at his throat.

"I can't," he said, glad that they couldn't see his pained expression. His voice was steady but raspy and he couldn't remember what it sounded like before, when he wasn't scared and hurt.

Peach huffed.

"And why not?" she questioned in a haughty tone. Luigi turned to look at her, a surprised expression she couldn't see flashing across his face. Was this how she always acted when Bowser took her? He found it surprising that Bowser would keep kidnapping her if she acted like this.

"Does it matter?" he snapped back.

"Stop," Daisy insisted, Petal bobbing in agreement by her side. "Peach, I trust him to get us out."

"But there is a problem," Luigi quickly said. He explained about the petals. How Petal needed them and where they were.

"Okay! We need to break into Kamek's lab," Daisy decreed. Princess Peach looked doubtful but stood anyway.

"Fine. How do we get out of this room?" she asked.

Luigi tensed. He hadn't thought that far. Princess Peach saw his reaction and sighed.

* * *

It was a bad idea. Luigi's knees knocked at the thought of it. Part of him thought this was suicidal. If he was caught… but no. He couldn't let himself get caught.

The guards opened the door for him to leave and he knocked both of them out with the Princesses' help.

"Let's go," Daisy smiled at him. He nodded and led the way down the halls of Bowser's castle. He walked quickly, only glancing back to make sure the princesses were able to keep up.

Petal was resting on Daisy's crown as Daisy stormed across the floor. Peach followed behind, holding her skirt off the ground and making quick progress.

Luigi stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked up.

"Kamek's lab is up there," he informed them.

Daisy muttered something unbecoming of a princess as she looked up. Then she hiked up her dress like Peach.

"Let's do this," she said, storming past him as she started climbing the stairs.

Luigi couldn't help smiling under his mask as he followed her up. She was determined and brave; it was amazing to watch.

"Why are you really helping us?" Peach questioned as she followed him up. Despite her dress and heels, she wasn't so winded that she couldn't speak. It was something Luigi quickly found annoying as she asked the one question he didn't want to answer.

"Like I said, integrity," he responded. He glanced back at her, his glare hidden behind the mask. "Daisy didn't tell you much about me, did she?"

"She didn't have time to tell me much of anything," Peach huffed in an annoyed tone. "What happens when Bowser catches us?"

Luigi's heart thudded at the thought. All the worst-case scenarios ran through his head. He died in all of them. But he believed the princesses would have a chance to survive. Bowser wouldn't harm Princess Peach and Daisy was Peach's friend. Hopefully that would offer the orange princess some protection she didn't have before.

"He will not harm you while I draw breath," Luigi promised.

Peach's angry looked melted at the conviction in his voice and Luigi pulled his hand away from his throat. He had started rubbing it without thinking.

Ears going hot and probably pink again, Luigi ignored the pink princess and hurried upwards.

They reached the door to Kamek's lab in silence.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

Red, blue and yellow. The moment they entered the room, Daisy holding onto Petal's body while the spirit rested in her crown, the petals and the body began giving off soft light.

Luigi didn't stop to stare. He was well aware of how little time they had so he moved forward and pulled the frames down from the wall and opened them up.

"Here," he said, passing the petals to Daisy. It might have been a trick of the light but they seemed to glow brighter.

Daisy sucked in a surprised breath. She paused for a moment before picking up the petals and holding them along with the body.

Nothing seemed to happen but Luigi couldn't let that distract them.

"Let's get out of here," he said, almost shoving the princesses out of the room. He could feel Kamek's magic in the air, making him nervous.

No matter how brave his declaration to Peach had seemed, he was scared. His hands and heart trembled with fear. Kamek could kill him at any time. Having his air cut off hurt and Luigi didn't want to go through it again.

At least the next time was likely to be the last.

"Are you okay?" Daisy asked him when they reached the ground. She reached out and wiped under his chin with her glove, ignoring his flinch at the touch.

Her face was lit with multi-coloured light. Even her dress seemed to glow. She was so magical and he was... he was crying under his mask.

"I'm fine," he croaked out. "It's just sweat."

They were about to duck out one of the windows when there was a clamour in the distance.

"Think they know we're missing?" Daisy questioned, looking scared for the first time.

"No," Luigi responded. He couldn't say why but this uproar sounded different. "Hide," he ordered, opening a door to a closet and shoving them in.

"Dark 'stashe!" a magickoopa called out as it hurried down the hall. "You should hurry to your post! Mario is here!"

"...right," Luigi responded. His post was probably with Bowser and Kamek.

Luigi shouldn't have been surprised that Mario was here. They had both princesses after all and someone had to get them back.

Once the magickoopa was gone, he opened the door.

"I have to go," he said softly. He didn't want to. "Petal, can you guide the princesses out?"

"I think can," Petal responded. The flower spirit seemed sad to see him go. Luigi was sad to leave too. Petal was his friend.

"Goodbye," he said, closing the door and running to Bowser's side.

* * *

Bowser roared when he walked in.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

Luigi tensed and tried to keep his knees from knocking.

"I-I was talking and neglecting my duties, I'm s-sorry," he stammered in response.

Bowser huffed and a stream of flame erupted from his nostrils. The large spiny koopa stomped back to his throne and sat down.

"Mario is in the castle," he stated with another flaming huff. "When he reaches me, you will destroy him."

Luigi's whole body went cold.

"What?" he gasped. Bowser couldn't be asking this. He had to know that Luigi couldn't do this!

"Mario dies by your hand or you die. Either way, I'm down a pesky plumber."

Luigi clenched his fists to try and hide the way his body trembled. It was not fear this time.

It was anger.

Bowser really expected him to fight his brother to the death? _No._ He would rather die.

He looked Bowser square in the face.

"Fine," he huffed. The least he could do was buy the princesses time to escape.

Bowser had a laugh at that. "I knew you'd see things my way, Dark 'stashe! Anything to survive, just as I expected."

Luigi clenched his jaw and turned his back to the Koopa King. He watched the doors, waiting for the moment he would have to fight Mario.

His heart hammered in his chest. Every second felt like minutes.

Finally the door slammed open.

"BOWSER!" Mario roared, his arrival announced by a number of fireballs heading Luigi's and Bowser's way. Off to the side, Kamek chuckled. One Mario brother fighting the other... Luigi knew the old magickoopa was looking forward to it.

"Why Mario, you look mad? What's the matter? Missing something other than your brother?" Bowser quipped in a pleasant sounding grumble.

Mario's face was shadowed and dark. He was angry.

Luigi stepped forward, taking a steadying breath.

"Don't fight!"

Luigi instinctively stepped back. His eyes widened as Princess Daisy came dashing out onto the battlefield. She stopped between the two, glaring at both of them.

"The princesses?" Kamek gasped in shock.

Luigi glanced over at the hidden door in the side of the room. Princess Peach came striding through, looking like the regal woman she was.

He swallowed. He felt like hurling. They weren't supposed to be here! They were supposed to be safe!

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Bowser roared, standing up again. Luigi's head snapped back to him.

Oh… no… It would only be moments before Bowser declared that he was to die. He was the only one who could have let the princesses out of their room.

"The final petal," Kamek said in awe, causing some of the tension to redirect to Princess Daisy.

She was glowing orange. Luigi hadn't imagined it earlier, she was really glowing. It emanated from a pendant around her neck. Daisy seemed surprised at the sudden attention, hand moving up to clutch protectively at something hanging around her neck.

Luigi remembered.

Daisy wore a pendant hidden under her dress. Her mother had given it to her; a round pendant with something sealed inside it.

"'A woman of flowers'," he whispered in awe as it clicked into place. "The Sarasaland Princess."

Kamek shot him a look but knew that he was right. Bowser seemed pleased by this part of his plan coming together.

Bowser rumbled a laugh. "And so the final petal is revealed! Now, watch Mario as we crush you!"

Kamek nervously glanced between the furious gaze of Princess Daisy and the pleased one on Bowser's face.

"Not exactly, your highness," he said. "The Princess is in possession of the petals, making their power hers."

Bowser's good mood instantly faded into an angry thundercloud. The temperature of the room seemed to drop. Luigi felt a shiver down his spine as Bowser turned his gaze to him.

"Why are the Princesses running around the castle?" he demanded to know.

Luigi shrugged.

"They should be IN THEIR ROOM! KAMEK!"

Mario readied himself for a battle, stepping in front of the princesses. Peach clasped her hands together, ready to give any kind of support she could.

Daisy whispered to Petal.

Luigi's hand moved up to his neck in dread.

* * *

Luigi knew it was coming. It didn't stop him from feeling shocked when pressure started on his neck, cutting off his air.

He gasped and dropped to his knees. His heart thudded in his chest and his throat wheezed as he tried to breathe. Each failed breath only caused his panic to increase.

Spots danced in his vision.

"What are you doing to him?" Daisy demanded to know. Her shoes pounded the stone floor as she crossed the room. He felt her hands grab his and pull them away from his neck.

"Sssstop," he whined. He wasn't sure whether he was telling Daisy or Bowser.

"Traitors die," Kamek said with a horrible laugh. "That's the way it works."

"He didn't-"

Luigi was getting dizzy. His head felt light. He swayed.

"He can't die!" Daisy exclaimed, begging Mario and Peach to do something.

Neither of them had the power to directly help Luigi. Luigi was vaguely aware of crashing and fighting going on in the background as his body buzzed with the lack of oxygen.

Then there was light which faded to dark as Luigi passed out.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

Luigi jolted awake. His body reacted before his mind could catch up. All he knew was that there was air brushing against his face and his mask was being taken off.

'No!' he tried to say, the only thing coming out being a wheeze of air. He pulled away, back ramming up against something hard. Bark stabbed against his back.

"Sorry!"

Luigi winced at the way Daisy's voice reverberated in his head. It was pounding.

"…oooow," he wheezed in a huff, coughing as his raw throat began burning. Swallowing only increased the burning, sandpaper feeling. His hand shot up to press against the soreness, only to be intercepted by Daisy's.

Her hands clasped against his, distracting him from the pain.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to look," she said.

"...uuu-okay. Iiii…. It's… uuh… okay," Luigi croaked out. "…don't look."

"Did Bowser damage your face?" she asked. Her red lips pursed in worry and the sad dim to her blue eyes made Luigi's heart shudder.

"N-noo-o." Luigi coughed. It seemed once he started, it was difficult to stop. He curled up, hacking and trying to remind his body that he was breathing.

Why was he breathing?

"What happened?" he asked, eyes watering behind the mask. The blast of air had felt good but he couldn't take his mask off in front of the princess.

To answer his question, a small red figure flashed past his vision. Petal floated around and dropped in front of his mask.

"Petal… you're-"

"Amazing! I know," Petal said with all the gravity the spirit could manage. It was childlike and made Luigi smile.

Luigi nodded in agreement. Petal was amazing.

The petals on Petal's body had opened. Before, when the petals had been closed, Petal's face had only ghosted outside. Now red, blue, yellow and orange petals framed the face within the center. Her stem was like a tail and a body in one, snaking out behind the flower with two leaves growing off it. Petal was like a flower and rainbow in one.

"Did you get us out?" he asked.

Petal bounced in her version of a nod.

"And destroyed horrible hurty thing!"

Luigi gently touched his neck. There was no cold feel from the collar used to hurt him. He reached out and touched Petal's petals.

"You saved my life," he said with reverence, "thank you."

"We are friends," Petal insisted. Daisy smiled at them and cupped Petal close.

"I'd heard about flower spirits from my mother," she said. "I never thought I would get to see one with my own eyes."

"Needed flower princess to restore power," Petal explained to Luigi. "Only flower princess could provide the power that makes flowers bloom."

"You're both amazing then," Luigi said gladly. Petal had kept her promise and got the princesses out and it seemed she added him into the deal.

Luigi looked around, spotting a rushing stream nearby and the grassy clearing they were in. There was a forest around them and flowers sprouted in the spot where he was sitting.

Mario and Princess Peach were also sitting nearby and Luigi's ears turned pink with embarrassment because he hadn't noticed them at all.

"Mario's mad that he wasn't able to destroy Bowser," Daisy informed him in a soft and sad voice. "Peach is trying to calm him down but, he's angry."

Mario certainly looked angry. His face was as red as his cap and his blue eyes were clouded with frustration. Now that Luigi could get a good look at him, he could also see that Mario had lost weight and his moustache wasn't as well combed or luscious as normal.

"If only we could have found Luigi too," Daisy sighed, pulling out the gloves Luigi had given her.

* * *

Luigi hung back as Princess Peach spoke quietly with Mario. Something held him back from going to his brother. It wasn't really sinking in that he was free. Or maybe he was just worried what everyone would think if he revealed himself. It wasn't by choice but he had helped Bowser with his plans.

"You should talk to him," Daisy said to him. Luigi stared at her in shock, the stiffness of his body giving away his feeling. "You helped me." She held the gloves close to her heart.

Luigi blinked away tears. They cared about him. He nodded at Daisy and walked over to the Princess and his brother.

"Um-"

The moment he spoke, Mario looked up at him.

"Princess Peach says that you helped her and Princess Daisy in the castle. That's why Bowser tried to kill you," he said.

Luigi nodded.

"Do you have somewhere to go?" Princess Peach asked before he could speak. "I would welcome you to my castle otherwise."

"I used to have a home," Luigi admitted, averting his gaze. His head tilted down and he didn't know how to say that his home had already been with them. The words wouldn't come to his lips.

What if they hated him? For lying. For hiding. For helping their enemy.

"Maybe you would be happier with Daisy?" Princess Peach suggested with a grin.

"Peach!" Mario gasped.

"Wh-what are you saying?" Luigi gasped, stepping backwards. His heart hammered in his chest. He liked Daisy but surely she wouldn't want to see him again after this. None of them probably wanted to deal with him now that they were out. Her offer was only to be polite. Princesses were supposed to be polite.

"You like Daisy. Why else would you betray Bowser?"

Anger flashed through him. Was she saying that there was no other reason to help them aside from a crush on Daisy? That he would risk everything for a pretty girl?

"Perhaps because it was the right thing to do?" he growled at her. His throat grated with the force of his words, still sore from his trial. "Because I didn't want anyone to die and I didn't want to kill anyone? Yes. I like Daisy but if you think that's my only reason for doing anything, then you're risking your kingdom by offering me a place in it."

"You like me?" Daisy questioned from behind him.

Luigi froze. He had not thought she was close enough to hear. Had he been yelling?

"Don't worry about it," he muttered to her before running off.

* * *

Luigi knew he was useless. Why was it that life seemed determined to keep reminding him of that? He followed the river as he ran. He angrily yanked off the mask and tossed it to the side.

He gripped the black shirt, ready to pull it off. However Bowser had taken all his clothes. He decided to keep the shirt until he could find something else to wear.

He stopped running and knelt by the water. His reflection was pale. Like a ghost.

Luigi splashed his face with water and then looked around for the mask he had tossed aside in frustration. Unfortunately, he couldn't see it.

"Oh no," he moaned. Without that mask, he would see their reactions to learning about his betrayal.

"Hey! Where'd you go?"

Luigi jumped into the nearest tree to hide on impulse. Daisy came running over, looking tired. Petal followed behind her, a trail glowing with the flower spirit's movements.

"I can't see him," Daisy said to Petal.

"I find!" Petal said, closing her eyes.

Luigi stilled and wondered if Petal really could. He wasn't certain.

Daisy looked at her hands, his mask held in them. She must have picked it up after running after him.

"Ah-hah!" Petal announced loudly. Right next to Luigi's ear. While he had been focused on the Princess.

"Aaaah!" he screamed in surprise. His body jolted and moved away. Into the empty air next to the branch.

Next he knew, he was lying on his back on the ground. The smell of dirt and grass surrounded him. He groaned in pain as his shoulders throbbed.

Daisy's face appeared above him. Her blue eyes were wide with surprise.

"Luigi?"

Luigi jumped to his feet in panic. He needed her to understand.

"Please don't mad, Princess! Bowser threatened my life if I told you and I meant to earlier but I didn't know how to do it and you all thought I was dead and I'm a terrible person!"

Daisy grabbed his hands. Hard. She had to move them away from his face to see him properly.

"No, you're not," she insisted, her blue eyes piercing into his. "You're not a terrible person. I imagine it must have been a difficult choice. And… you're alive." She grinned happily.

" _Si_ , but when you're no longer happy about that, you're going to be mad," Luigi pointed out.

Daisy frowned playfully at him and moved her hands, cupping his face with her gloved hands.

"Luigi," she said.

"Yes?" His gaze was hesitant when his eyes met hers.

"You're alive," she said, her frown turning to a relieved grin before she pulled him into a hug. "Everything else can be fixed. Some people might be angry but I'm not. You saved us, Petal and me. We both know I would have confronted Bowser without your advice."

"You did confront Bowser," Luigi pointed out with a frown. His heart was thudding and fluttering in his chest. There was a soft ache there, like he had forgotten to breathe and it was nothing like the pain Kamek had inflicted on him.

Daisy cackled. It was a happy sound which he hadn't probably heard in a long while. He found himself smiling as well. It hurt his cheeks, the movement unfamiliar.

"And I'm alive because of you." Daisy released him from her grip, allowing him to see the wide grin she was sending him. Luigi's heart felt light. Maybe… everything would be okay?


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

He couldn't do this.

Luigi grabbed at Daisy's arm. His arms trembled. He could hear Mario talking to Peach in the distance, updating her on where they appeared to be and how long it would take to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom. From what Luigi could hear, it wouldn't even take a day.

They were so close to the border and instead of hope, it was making Luigi feel dread. There was no way he could feel untainted by his time working for Bowser. He couldn't erase that taint, the feel of the cold castle and mask on his face in a day. People were going to know. They would look at him and know.

"We should start walking tonight," Mario said in a clipped tone.

Tonight?

"Right now?" Luigi questioned quietly, looking to Daisy.

Daisy bit her lip, not looking happy about that at all. They were close enough to see the crestfallen expression on Peach's face. Luigi was tired. He knew the princesses had spent most of the day running around the castle with him.

"We need to rest!" Luigi rasped as loudly as he could before he could think about the consequences of his action. Think about Daisy, he told himself. Focus on her instead of your own terror. Focus on Mario, who looked like he needed both food and a rest. "The sun is starting to set and it'd be dangerous to wander these woods a night."

Mario's eyes widened. Peach gasped a soft 'oh', holding her hand to her mouth in shock.

"I'm with Luigi! Rest and food!" Daisy announced, throwing their joined hands into the air. Luigi felt his face heat up as he gazed at where her hand was clasping his.

Luigi stammered out an embarrassed, "D-d-Daisy!" She ignored him, pulling him into the small circle created by Mario and Peach. Even Petal seemed to ignore him, landing on Daisy's head with a small, content grin.

"...Luigi?" Mario questioned in a quiet voice. Luigi felt his eyes fill with watery tears.

"H-hi, Mario," he stammered. Mario took a step towards him and touched the arm not held captive by the flower princess. It was a tentative touch, barely there, which Luigi didn't associate with his brother.

Luigi pulled away from Daisy to wrap his arms around Mario. He buried his face in Mario's shoulder as sharp tears flowed down his face.

His shoulders heaved as all the tension and emotions he had felt came rushing to the surface. He had been miserable.

"M-m-Mario!" he cried, holding his brother tighter. Trying to convey that he had missed him as well. To convey the hardship of knowing where your family was but being unable to even signal to them that you were okay. They thought he had been dead and he had to live with that knowledge and the knowledge that he wasn't.

It tore his heart into pieces.

"Luigi," Mario said softly, his voice right next to Luigi's ear. His gloved hands pressed against Luigi's back protectively.

In the end, it didn't matter what Luigi had done. It didn't matter that Mario thought he was dead. They were two brothers reunited, clinging to each other as if to erase their time apart.

* * *

The Princesses moved away to give the brothers some time together. Petal went with them as protection, telling them about how brave Luigi had been when they first met.

Luigi didn't feel brave. Once they broke their hug, Mario started a fire for them to sit near. He asked Luigi for the story and Luigi gave him the general idea of what his deal with Bowser had been.

Mario had a serious expression on his face as Luigi spoke.

"...I'm sorry none of us noticed," he finally said. Mario reached up and took off his red cap, squeezing it in his hands. It was a habit Luigi had. "Looking back, it seems so obvious that you knew us. You scolded us for not rushing out save Daisy. You made sure to warn a city of an incoming danger, even though it hurt you." Mario's moustache twitched. "You curse in Italian! How did I miss that?"

Luigi shrugged. "You're used to hearing it."

"I'm used to saying it! _Mamma mia_ , Luigi! You never curse."

Luigi stared at his brother. Mario looked straight back at him with a serious expression. Really? That's what Mario chose to bring up? His cursing?

"I was under a lot of stress," he countered, trying to explain.

"The Princess was standing right there! Do you know what Toadsworth is going to do when he finds out?"

Luigi groaned and hung his head in his hands. Mario was right. Toadsworth was going to give him a long lecture on appropriate language to use near the Princess.

"Then we don't tell him," Princess Peach announced from behind them. Both brothers jumped, landing on their feet.

"Peach!" Mario gasped.

"You curse in Italian?" Daisy asked Luigi with a wicked grin.

Luigi gave her a flat look. "I'm not repeating any of what I said." Daisy laughed anyway, saying something about getting Peach or Mario to tell her everything.

Mario instantly refused, fearing Toadsworth's wrath. Peach claimed to not recall what Luigi had said.

"What do you mean, 'we don't tell him'?" Luigi questioned.

"Exactly what it means, we don't tell Toadsworth or anyone about this."

Luigi stared at Peach. It was certainly an idea. "We just don't talk about it?" he questioned.

"It wouldn't be the first adventure we do that with," Mario commented with a shrug. "Let the people draw their own conclusions."

"We will have to announce that you're alive. Maybe we can say that Bowser was keeping you hostage?" Peach suggested.

At the mention of Bowser, Luigi's heart sunk. Bowser knew everything and he would tell the people anyway.

"Are you kidding?" Daisy said angrily. "Luigi risked his life, protected me and put together a plan with Petal which saved us and you want to keep that secret?"

"We cannot just tell the people that Luigi worked for Bowser," Peach countered with Mario nodding gravely beside her.

Luigi looked at Daisy. "Do you have another idea?" he asked. He didn't like the idea of lying to the people either. But, he also didn't want them knowing this shame of his.

Daisy grinned at him. Luigi's eyes were drawn to the speck of dirt on her face which shifted with her smile and made his heart jolt. Daisy placed a hand over the flower emblem as she stood before him.

"Luigi, you rescued a flower spirit of the Sarasaland kingdom. That act is a great thing for my people and it is a great shame that we allowed Bowser to do what he did to Petal. Therefore, I would like to officially commend you for your bravery. Not many people would be willing to fake allegiance to the Koopa King in order to rescue a being already half-dead. You even found a way to get me, the spirit and the spirit's missing pieces into the one room so that I could restore it."

Luigi would fight anyone who said that Sarasaland Princess didn't know how to act like a princess. The woman before him was royalty, in stance, words and action.

Mario grinned, getting the story Daisy was presenting them with. He looked to Peach who said that this was an acceptable plan, although close to what she had been suggesting.

"Um… I… thank you," Luigi stammered. His throat felt like it would close from the emotions in his chest. His face heated up as he thought about the future. "A-are you going to do this in front of people?"

Daisy's grin turned from gentle and happy to something wicked. "Of course. How else are people going to know about your heroics?"

"D-Daisy!" Luigi felt like he was going to cry again. He didn't want to have to stand in front of a crowd and do this when he was embarrassed from doing it just in front of Mario and Peach.

Mario gave a hearty chuckle and even Peach tittered a laugh.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes:** I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Camouflage.

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

* * *

Toadsworth had not been happy to hear that Luigi had been Bowser's newest minion. Daisy had taken charge in telling the old toad steward, starting with telling him about how she planned to commend Luigi for his bravery.

Toadsworth and stood up and waved his walking stick violently in the air. "That villain! To think he would plot so!"

Luigi had flinched at the loud bark in the man's voice and Toadsworth turned his attention to him.

"Luigi, you are certainly a hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Well done."

"You're not mad at me?" Luigi asked.

"The one at fault here is Bowser. And I am glad that the Princesses and our heroes are all in one piece."

Toadsworth glanced over at Mario, who was looking much more put together. His uniform was properly washed and ironed and his moustache was back looking luscious. It went unsaid that Toadsworth appreciated Luigi's efforts that others didn't always notice. He knew the brothers better than the rest of the Kingdom.

Mario wasn't the same when he didn't have Luigi supporting him.

* * *

After things were cleared up with Toadsworth and Daisy had returned to Sarasaland to begin setting up for the ceremony to honour Luigi, Luigi took the time to realise that this was real. He was really home.

Home smelt dusty and abandoned. The place was neat, which made sense since Mario cleaned and straightened up whenever he was stressed, however the level of cleanliness gave their home an uninhabited and lonely feeling.

The first thing Luigi did was dust. Mario kept offering to help and Luigi kept refusing. It hadn't been Mario's job in the first place and Luigi found himself aching for some normality. He ended up sending Mario to the kitchen to cook something for dinner. While Mario might clean to keep his mind of horrible, stressful things, the red plumber didn't do the kind of thorough job Luigi was capable of. He was an excellent cook though. As long as the dish involved pasta sauce.

The smell of the sauce wafted through the house and chased away the scents of dust and musty closed up rooms.

Luigi opened the door to the bathroom and found the one job Mario never did during his stress cleaning binges. There was a pile of worn and wrinkled red shirts and denim overalls piled in the corner.

Luigi picked them up and carried them downstairs to the washing machine. Mario watched his every movement. Not out of worry that Luigi might betray them to Bowser but with grateful eyes.

Luigi was adjusting to being home while Mario was adjusting to having his brother back, both things the brothers had previously thought impossible.

* * *

Someone touched Luigi in his sleep. His left eye snapped open, staring at whomever had woken him. His face remained pressed to the pillow, mostly covered.

"Luigi," Mario said quietly. "It's ten."

Luigi sighed and turned to look out the window. Who cared if it was 10 o'clock at night?

The sun shone through his window and Luigi shot out of his bed.

"It's ten in the morning?" he questioned in shock. His sleep had been deep and uninterrupted but still, to sleep long past his usual hour? He hadn't even stirred!

He jumped out of bed and started getting dressed, hopping around as he pulled on his overalls for the first time in a long time.

Mario watched on with amusement in his eyes, which only grew when Luigi couldn't find his spare shoes. His main pair had been destroyed by Bowser like the rest of the clothes he had been wearing at the time of his capture. The only exception were the gloves he had given to Princess Daisy, who had decided to keep them even though Luigi obviously wasn't dead.

* * *

Those living in Toad town had been overjoyed to learn that Luigi was actually alive. The main rumour floating around was that Princess Daisy had been right and Luigi had been locked away in Bowser's castle.

Luigi didn't correct them. The real story would get out the moment of Daisy's little celebration.

Mario, Princess Peach and Toadsworth were all coming and the four of them were travelling together. Luigi pulled along Mario's bag with his own, loading them onto the plane.

"Ready?" Princess Peach asked him.

"Huh? Sure. I guess?" Luigi responded, not really sure what the princess was talking about. He took a seat across from her and Mario. Luigi tried to hide his amusement as seeing Peach place her hand over Mario's and Mario's embarrassed fidgeting. He didn't remove his hand from hers though, even flipping it over so they could hold hands as the plane took off.

"It's no small thing, being commended by the Princess of Sarasaland," Peach informed him. "It hasn't happened in years. Not even when Mario saved Daisy's life and Kingdom."

"I think it has something to do with me helping Petal than anything involving Daisy," Luigi pointed out. Flower spirits were very important to the people of Sarasaland. Daisy had told them that. It was the rescue of Petal that was cause for celebration. Luigi also ignored Mario's little mutter of, 'hey, I got a kiss for saving Princess Daisy.'

But then Mario winked at him. "Hey, Bro, maybe she'll kiss you."

Luigi's cheeks went red. He told himself it was just Mario teasing him, although he wasn't adverse to the idea of a kiss from Princess Daisy.

* * *

The people were silent. Luigi stood on a podium before Princess Daisy in his best overalls. His second-best hat sat atop his head and he was focused on getting through this ceremony.

Princess Daisy was dressed in her puffy orange and white princess dress. She stood tall with her crown placed between her teased up hair.

When she spoke, everyone listened;

"Luigi, you rescued a flower spirit of the Sarasaland kingdom. It is a great thing for my people and a great shame that we allowed Bowser to do what he did to Petal. Therefore, I would like to officially commend you for your bravery. Not many people would be willing to fake allegiance to the Koopa King in order to rescue a being already half-dead. You even found a way to get me, the spirit and the spirit's missing pieces into the one room so that I could restore it."

Luigi nervously stepped forward for the Princess to take his hands. Daisy grinned at him and he gave her a nervous grin back. He kept his focus on her as he gave his response.

"Thank you, Princess Daisy." His voice was still raspy from his trials but was slowly healing.

Luigi could see Mario and Princess Peach standing just off the stage. Mario was smiling and giving him a thumbs up and Princess Peach was overjoyed.

Toadsworth stood behind her and almost out of sight.

Luigi gave Princess Daisy a bow. She was meant to give him a curtsy in response but Daisy decided to go a little more traditional than that.

She moved closer, reached forward and gave Luigi a peck on the cheek.

"Heroes get a kiss from a princess," she informed him with a mischievous grin.

Luigi's face heated up and his cheeks hurt from grinning. Perhaps he had grown bolder during his time among Bower's staff because he whispered back, "maybe to get a kiss from the flower princess was the plan all along and I'm not a hero but a scoundrel." The drop in volume caused his voice to go deep and raspy as it had been back in Bowser's castle.

There were a couple of chuckles, surprised sounds and knowing grins from the crowd as Daisy's face turned a light, embarrassed orange in the light.

Traditionally, a kiss from a princess also marked the end of a story and a happy ending for herself and her chosen hero.


End file.
